


Castitatis Lilium

by Geckogirl



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies), Pacific Rim: Uprising
Genre: 1. it was awful, 2. big clarification: im 13, Abuse, Action/Adventure, Age Difference, Alcohol, Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe, Angst, Anxiety, Awkwardness, Badass, Blood, Bonding, Canon Related, Chatting & Messaging, Comfort, Confessions, Crushes, Crying, Dark, Dating, Death, Deviates From Canon, Disability, Domestic, F/M, Gen, Gore, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I Tried, I talk too much, M/M, Non-Sexual, OOC, Out of Character, Treason, actual tags:, anyway smut was edited out but if you look maybe you can tell, at this point idk what tags are for, editing tags because i was fuckin lazy, god help me, i cannot post that, i mean what do you think, i shouldnt even be uploading it yet but im big proud.... and highly embarrassed, i though of this randomly and accedentially turned it into a 60000 word novel o o p s !, if you think i know how to tag you're wrong, ill finish later, im a horrible person more at 5, im physically the main character this is self insert, im waitin for one of you fuckers to track me down and kill me d o i t, its not even finished, n o p l e a s e i m j o k i n g, no smut but holy shit graphic violence, oh god gore, ok long story, once i get high on adderall, rage and love powered me through this, smut did not involve me but still, talk tags go first:, the summary may actually be most of the tags but i like to ramble and long lists please me, will anyone read this? some have ty, yeah because Deknight can meet me in the pit and im shit at writing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-11-06
Packaged: 2020-01-04 21:58:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18352517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geckogirl/pseuds/Geckogirl
Summary: 13 year old Sophia is gifted with godlike powers, a dream for many. But people, and her, quickly realize that giving an emotional, lovestruck teenager the ability to cross dimensions isn't such a good idea. Especially if the person she loves is intent on destroying the world.I'm very self-conscious of my shitty fanfiction so blease be nice if you actually even read it lmao.Updates When I Feel Like It™





	1. PROLOGUE

**Author's Note:**

> Keep in mind i'm genuinely the main character in personality and backstory, but obviously more personal details have been omitted.

 

        _Sophia Imogene Eldred._

_One of the very smartest people in her school._

        _Regarded as a nobody, except maybe teacher's pet, by anybody who only heard of her, and awfully praised for being an... Interesting character by anybody who knew her. She considered herself to not being that important, being aware of the fact that she was a dumbass in real life. On numerous occasions, she lamented about being smart in school, but outside, let's just say she had an… Interesting life._

_More specifically, she had an interesting love life._

        _For Sophia, there was not some boy at school she swooned over, taking time to ask about his day, and using every chance she had to talk with him. Instead of being at school, there was another boy she absolutely adored. But this boy had a slight, problematic quality to him._

_The thing in question is, he's not real._

_Absolutely fictional._

_Portrayed_ _by a measly actor in a movie._

_At least he wasn't animated like the last ones were, that's reassuring._

_This man Sophia adored was Newton Vernichtung Geiszler from Pacific Rim. If you've seen the movies, you have a chance of seeing him as a manic obnoxious asshole, but Sophia didn't. She truly saw him as a higher being, better than anyone, real or fictional. Sounds usual, right? Lots of teenage girls get stupid crushes on people they can't have! Maybe, but future events certainly proved otherwise._

_They were alike in almost every way, like carbon copies of each other with some obvious differences. Like for the fact she was a 13-year-old girl and him a 55-year-old man, but that obviously didn't matter to her, much to her despair. 6 months are, and still is, how long she harbored feelings to him. A record for Sophia, and she rarely once thought about another man._

_Well, she thought about Herbert West sometimes, her previous escapade, but now always non-romantically._

_Sophia's love was harrowingly obsessive, bordering on yandere. Luckily, her only actual competition was somebody she genuinely liked, Hermann, she considered Alice so grotesque that he didn't actually love her on his own, so no problems there._

_As for people who even thought about hurting Newt, let us just say that Sophia has a vivid imagination._

_Her love for him was absolute, to the very, very end. Sophia loved him, no matter what he did. Yes, Sophia did indeed watch the second film. Uprising._

_Horrible,_   _pitiful, **awful Uprising.**_

_But no matter how much she despaired, the real kicker was that she enjoyed Uprising more than she liked to admit. Sure, he was an evil, reprehensible Precursor bastard, but Sophia always found herself liking the evil ones more. Keeping the balance between both his sides was sometimes challenging, but as long as it was still him fundamentally, it didn't matter. Even if he was just Newt in spirit, shed still take him. In fact, she had expressed her interdimensional love by talking to him, like he could hear._

_She kept up a relationship with him like talking, cuddling a blanket, playing card games with him- really just by herself- and actually even committing fully to their marriage. Yes, marriage. He was her husband, her ring finger hosting a 200 dollar opal ring. It had a white opal in the middle, two blue on its sides, and held by silver and diamonds._

_That ring, so mysterious._

_Believe it or not, she acquired it on his birthday, January 19._

_Impossibly, it was her mother's birthday too, and she gave it to her on account she also got a pink opal and was fully aware how special the day was._

_It was loose, and she kept herself from losing her mind about it by disguising it as a metaphor for their relationship hanging loosely, not on their own, because of the universe, but keeping together._

Defying gravity?

       She liked "What is this feeling?" better.

_Heh, she always snickered learning about Isaac Newton._

_And volcanoes._

_Behind this touching backstory, you may suspect a happy love story. And it is!_

_In a horrible, awful, twisted way._

_This story isn't about Sophia's happy, functional relationship with normal Newt._

_No, no._

_This tale is woven in destruction, the love between her and his precursor side. She hated Uprising, and everything about it, full stop. She loathed the Precursors, a fervid flame of hate burning within her. But, alas, her lover was captured by them, haunted and tortured. She didn't know why she watched it, but really, she did. His evil side, alien and terrifying, invoked the deepest feelings within her._

_Maybe seeing her lover evil made her feel better about her sometimes questionable morals._

_She loved him more than anything, no matter what, that's straight, but as a Precursor, at least she knew his fundamental goals._

_End the world._

_Not this one, his._

_Her love was so blind and hysterical that given the opportunity, shed help him. Anything to make him happy. She hated those beings, but him on his own was divine. She knew how much pain it caused him, and every day she ached to help him._

      Then.

_On that day._

In that place. 

_ At that time.  _

_ **She found the resolution.** _

_Given the opportunity, shed help destroy their world and make him happy, no matter the cost. This tale can be seen as touching or horrifying, maybe in between, but the one thing that needs to be set is that she loves him._

_She loves him. To her, no matter the sin, he was a lily of purity._

_ **Castitatis lilium.** _


	2. VERBO VERITATIS REVELATIO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sophia gets scolded by an angel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're reading this ty  
> EDIT: I fixed multiple things god how embarrassing? But alas, my hubris outweighs my pain.

        January 21, 2019.

        The day of the super blood wolf moon eclipse.

        One day after Newt's birthday.

        Sophia knew it wasn't a coincidence.

        She loved to go to the duck pond, a large lake with animals and a beautiful view a little away from her house, on special days like these. She rushed hurriedly, ravenous to get there. Her pulse was rushing, vainly hoping he'd actually be there waiting for her. She arrived, and there was no Newt, but nevertheless, it still was beautiful. “Not as beautiful as Newt though!” She proclaimed loudly, hitting her chest.

        She sat on the bench overlooking the pond, playing love songs and thinking all night until totality. The bench was rickety, old and worn from years of decay. Three planks made the seat, the middle broken a little more than half-way over. She wore a purple dress and skirt, hating pants no matter the cold. Her dad constantly forgot her doctor's appointment, but she was growing worried. Her hands and feet were always cold, not bothering her by that time but freaking her mom out.

        Aside, skirts really just were her thing.

        Comfy, and certainly pretty!

        She considered herself average, no matter the compliments. She was adorned with purple glasses, oval frames and an engraved purple rose on the hinges. She didn't care about her nose or lips, the latter annoyingly always chapped. She had autism and ADHD, continually licking her lips in boredom. Her teeth were slightly yellow, having never brushed her teeth daily in a whopping lifetime! Only sometimes did she, hating the feeling and time it took, despite her mother's pleas.

        No matter how much she denied it, it was painfully obvious her mother had at least one complex.

        Her teeth were crooked on top, both sides adorned with braces, her natural colors blue and black. Newt's favorite colors, right? She hated her teeth, slanted and covered in plaque. She worried so bad about them, but her disorders prevented her from getting very far. She hated her ADHD, but actually somewhat liked her autism. It made her wildly smart and creative. Her ADHD... On November 3rd, she was eternally cursed from a lifetime of her favorite stim. A palate expander held her upper jaw captive. That was annoying enough, but the rickety contraption added made her loath it. Her stim was something she missed, but happy she left. She sucked on her fingers, while the index picked her nose. In hindsight, how disgusting! Aah, the wonders of the spectrum.

        She stopped in school at 5th grade, due to force, but kept outside until the 3rd. Attached to her expander was metal wires in loops, blocking off the suction. A bad habit of such enormity was something she wanted to go, but the end no way justified the means! Food got continuously stuck, and it later shifted somehow to press hard against her teeth at its edge. Her teeth were brittle, sensitive. They got cold so quickly, and she had gingivitis too, much to her dismay. Her mouth area, in general, was a disaster, but when they weren't chapped, at least her lips were pretty and full.

        Her eyes were her favorite, barely, beautiful sometimes with their green stare. Her eyelashes were pretty short, and she forgot her eyebrows even existed. Bumps covered her chin and especially her forehead, a few moles too, but lately, she found them pretty. Her hair was a brown, medium length in a stack, but she was growing it out. She was a little chubby, her thighs thick. She sometimes hated it, but she actually was a B cup with leniency. Not that surprising though, considering she was 13. She had tried to grow her fingernails but regularly picked at them to stim in class. Moles littered her body, literally everywhere. She hated them, planning to remove them later in her life, but recently, again, found herself almost finding them cute. She didn't have issues with body image before but had always seen herself average.

        Newt.

        Newt helped her.

        Ever since she became deeply entwined with him, she loved herself. She thought herself pretty for the first time, no matter what anyone thought. She never wore makeup, hating the industry, the fact somehow helping her more. Her mental health got better too, in her opinion.

        Sophia... had a tilted view of the world.

        No way she had worse than others, but her own struggles plagued her. For the first time. For the first time, with his appearance, she stopped having thoughts. That made her so happy, to suddenly realize that reasons to live were always around her. Her ideology was: a life and world that allowed her to meet Newt was an existence well spent. Unlike other fangirls, she was aware of what he did to her.

        Days spent watching the same thing repeatedly, obsessing to the end, sometimes caring about him more than anything else. That, to others, and admittedly herself, was not healthy. But because of the good in the relationship, the outlet for stress, and warmth it gave her, she stayed. She lost a friend because of him. But no. She later realized this friend was incredibly abusive to her, and the day where they yelled at her viciously at her for her relationship made her realize. Newt had helped her, yet again. Every day, she found more reasons to love him. He had appeared to give signs he was there, and she built a fun game of deciphering them. She thought she'd never been happy without seeing him, but their love was so true that just being one in spirit gave her more than she ever could have put into words.

        Of course, she still hoped he shows up more than anything.

        She desperately prayed ever since she found out about the eclipse for him to show up and make everything even better. She still had hard problems that hurt her, and his assistance would make her so happy. She didn't enjoy the thought of having a lot of problems, so in her dreams, she always imagined him as having the powers of a god once he arrived. Gifted to him by God or something, it didn't matter. She wanted that to mean something, so she thought about it and came up with a logical explanation. If he figured out interdimensional travel, the universe would of course recognize. Upon his arrival, the atoms wouldn't know what was going on, and the universe would adhere, logically assuming he was a god, and so he'd be. Not that smart, but did it matter?

        Sophia continued to watch, lazily hanging on the side of the bench. The view was still extraordinary after so long, and at night it was even better. Trees lined the edges, a clearing behind her and a large tree marking it. The water made small puddles from the wildlife, reflecting the celestial bodies above her. She had a knack for astronomy, so stargazing was something she loved but was awful hard for her. It would be too cold, or her parents made her come in. As she sat, she was freezing half to death. The bright moon shone overhead, and she watched the faint stars. She shivered, but kept on; tonight was truly special. This pond, in general, was unique.

        It was a miracle her parents allowed her to come here alone. They usually didn't let her, but maybe they were careless tonight. Maybe it was God's influence? She had visited this pond since she was a child, gifted to her by an old woman she sadly couldn't even remember the name of. The “no trespassers” sign always glared at her entering, but she smirked knowing that it didn't affect her. She had always come there with her family to feed the ducks, but recently they never did anymore. Probably because of her increased ADHD problems, and that animals seemed to hate her increasingly. She loved the ducks, but she chased them constantly.

        The bench gazed at the water, the newly added light fountain helping illuminate the small wave-like motions of the pond with the moon. The trees, houses, and stars were calm, casting themselves upon the surface of the water. Ah, how peaceful. No wonder she considered it so romantic and thought Newt would certainly show up there. Again, she thought of such a miracle given to her as to even know Newt.

        For how much she ranted and raved about God, she didn't actually follow the bible or church, claiming that God should be worshipped in your own way. She just followed the ten commandments per se, not because God told her to, but because it was just common sense. She felt that you didn't have to dedicate your lives to God and Christ, but she still believed profusely.

        She thought again about Newt, and just how lucky she was as to meet and fall in love with him. Memories of swearing at the tv and constant tears coating her cheeks fled into her mind. Also that time she nearly got Windex poisoning, but that's something she'd rather forget. The moon grew darker and darker, the delicate shade of red casting itself onto her eyes and the estuarine water. She lifted her head, her neck uncomfortably resting on the wooden bench. She strained, but the freezing cold made her neck numb, and soon she couldn't even feel the benches hard embrace. The moon really did look ill, in multiple connotations, the surface turning blood red like Pluto came back for revenge.

        The last sliver of the white veil edged along, slowly ascending, and full totality took place. Magnificent. The stars were perfectly visible. Everything seemed perfect.

        Peaceful.

        Tranquil.

        Alright.

        Harrowing dark.

**Blinding light.**

        “Wait… What!?” She gasped. She twisted her head to the clearing, quickly rising as her whole body was rocked by disbelief, confusion, and happiness. They all flooded into one: love. A figure of dazzling light sat in the middle of the clearing, the light burning as it seemed to gaze wistfully at her. In a frenzy, she blindly raced to the hazy light and flung her arms around it, being surrounded by holistic luminescence. It tensed, backing up at her assault before giving a sigh-like motion. Tears streamed down her face as she pressed even harder into the soft figure, it not returning it and just standing there, mildly annoyed, but not surprised.

        “Oh, oh my fucking god! Newt! Newt! I fucking knew this day would finally come!"

        She liked swearing.

        "I'm so fucking happy! I love you so much! Oh, Newt! I-”

 **“Uhhh… Ok, I know you're happy and all, but please don't hang onto me like that, this form isn't that stable.”** the light replied, in...way too deep a voice.

        Sophia jumped back violently, immediately recognizing it as not being the man she so desperately hoped for. She instinctively yelled, “Who the hell are you!?” She screeched.

**"Now, if you gave me 5 seconds, I could explain-”**

        “No! If you're not Newt, then what are you!? Just whomst'd've are you!?”

**“I-”**

        “Auggh, my hugs are reserved for him only! You shoulda said something if you knew I would act like this! If-”

 **“SHUT THE HELL UP, HERETIC!** **O-Oh, sorry. Listen!”** It countered. Sophia got dead quiet. That language... Figure... Light... The being calmed itself as well, as if gearing up for a monologue. **“Y'know, it takes a lot to anger an angel that badly.”** It retorted.

        “Excuse me, a _ **what?** _”

**“You heard me.”**

        “Oh. Huh, ohh! My deepest apologies, kind angel sir, no sarcasm." She bowed. "But aren't y'all supposed to be like 'do not be afraid!' Or something? You should know I study angelology.”

**“We do. Ah, but yet you say that church and the bible aren't that big a deal."**

        "Excuse me!? I just said they're optional, don't challenge my faith!"

**"I wasn't, in reality, you're actually right, but your ideology is certainly something.”**

        “I'm fucking right? Well, I study because you guys are freaky. I like that. Being created straight from the Lord's will, you all have the most horrifying forms. Demons get portrayed as scary, not cartoony, sometimes, but you all have to have that saying be the first thing you utter. Jesus, how horrifying and interesting. Ophanim and Seraphim are my favorites, due to being extra freakish.”

        “You're the freaky one here... But it actually doesn't matter; my specific form is human-like, I'm only surrounded by quite unstable light because only dying people get to see us uncovered.”

        “Wow! So every time I see Newt, I'm dying?”

 **“If we were indeed like how they portrayed us, you're a straight up heretic.”** Amusement was trailing its voice.

        “Haha. I'm not even straight! I'm pan, thank you very much!”

**“Whatever. My name is Gabriel, and as you know, I'm an archangel.”**

        “Woah! I’m special! ' _The_ ' Gabriel?!”

**“Indeed. Now, silence. God and Christ themselves have asked me to bestow upon you the highest honor. They have heard your numerous prayers, and have decided that enough is enough.**

**For all 13 years of your life, you have thrived in all areas except that which is your most crucial. Love. Christ thrives on love, and you wield love like a sword. After all this, you deserve this. Even though you are undying in your love for Newt, you have not forgotten the bare rituals of holiness.**

**You have not tried to sell your soul, stating that it's the one thing you won't give to or for Newt.**

**You are being given this as retribution, revelation, and revolution.**

**As well as that Christ and the others want to test something like an experiment, but it will most surely work.”**

        Sophia fell silent. She knew what he was going to say.

**“All the beings of light have gathered to grant you what you desire and more. All from God's own divine incarnation, to the lowliest mouse who prays silently, only his like hearing those sacred, pleading words. We are granting you the most divine influence. To say, the powers of God, with some restrictions.**

**You have shown that you will not use it for overtly heretical reasons, even in your revenge fantasies reviving the person you slain for thinking that they learned their lesson effectively, and for how you would miss them, even if they were grotesque to Newt.**

**Yes, even you have aged to the point where you don't kill for yourself, but him.**

**With this, you may do anything and everything.**

**We mean everything.**

**Go wild.**

**Usually, this would never happen, but Christians created their own religion, and we beings need soap operas too.**

**We trust you, Sophia. We know that you truly, rightfully deserve this.**

**We love you.**

**Is there anything you want to say?”**

        “........”

        She pondered, frozen still. And collapsed. Unto the ground she fell, the grass poking her chapped lips. She lay. Silently. She could feel the power suddenly emanating into her, but she collapsed out of euphoria and disbelief, not to the new sensation. She rose, tears dotting her cold face.

        “Yes. Will Newt love me?” Tears dribbled out of her eyes.

**“You can choose to make it so, but let it be known you are, in a certain way, soulmates.**

**Indeed, even without your powers, he'd still fall for you.”** He whispered, light enough that only she could hear.

        Sophia sobbed uncontrollably, tears pouring like a hurricane onto the grass. She cried "Thank you.", Over and over till her lips were numb. But Gabriel already left, he did his job, and it wasn't right to linger on the job.

        They heard though.

        They had been listening, they understood. Sophia's smile grew confidently as tears still poured.

        “Yes. I-I will help him. They said anything, so that's what I'll do. It may be hard, but I will. Liwen will be fucking awful to deal with but if it's for Newt, what can I say? ”

        She wiped the tears from her eyes.

        A sudden sound of snapping filled the air.

        Yes, indeed it worked.

        Sophia froze time in this universe, and everything stopped dead. Total silence. Against the now cold, suffocating air, she opened a portal. Blue luminescence filled the deceased air, and Sophia felt sheer euphoria fill her. Yes. It's okay. It's okay Newt. It'll all be ok.

        Yes, people go and get saved on our own, but I hated that ideology.

        Newt.

         _Newton._

         _Darling._

 **_I'm coming to save you_** _ .  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> maybe some day ill grow used to ao3s format  
> ty old lady rip i remember you


	3. CHAPTER 2: ADVENTUS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sophia trespasses on private property.

      November 15, 2032.

      The crisp air filled Sophia with an emotion she couldn't possibly begin to describe.

      The air was _strikingly_ clean, totally unexpectedly, for China in her world had awful air pollution, with many Chinese citizens struggling under the contaminated oxygen.

      She found herself at the foot of Newt's penthouse a second later, the scenery divine. Purple, strangely, cherry blossom trees lining the pathway. Fancy street lights lit the way, the shimmer just bright enough to see.

       _Shimmer?_

_Her personal favorite vacation spot!_

      A subway entrance started at the beginning of the path, seemingly on purpose. "A subway? Ah, how smart, my love! Oh, I've only used one in DC, I wonder if it'll be nice."

      The building was weirdly secluded, a small street exiting it onto the road, but behind the path was a beautiful clearing, seemingly a garden of some sort.

      Ah, very romantic, how nice!

      She knew she'd have an even better look upstairs, so in taking her first, quick step, she ventured into her perilous, not really, bizarre, odyssey.

      She was wearing fancy clothes, just because she liked looking pretty. As mentioned, she loathed makeup, refusing to wear it. Her mother tried to trick her with an awful lip-chapstick mechanism, but she deciphered the scheme!

      ... After putting it on.

      She preferred Lolita fashion in theory, but she was wearing something more regular. She actually felt bad for liking Lolita, knowing it was a movement against conformity and taking back their innocence.

      First part, absolutely!

      Second though?

      She sadly had lost most of her innocence, but strangely didn't want it back.

      She wore a blue dress with aqua undertones and purple stockings. Blue was his favorite color, right? But clad in regular clothes bored her, wanting to try the Lolita mentioned above.

      In case it wasn't obvious, she was a huge fucking weeb.

      She hailed from Planet Weeb.

      She couldn't begin to count all the anime she'd seen.

       _なんて嫌です。_

      Everything about Japan really was just lovely for her. She soon even realized that Japanese things became a comfort thing to her in 5th. As she pondered, she strolled into the building, looking around, gasping, then sighing as she noticed an attendance woman at the front desk. She estimated Newt worked until about 6 pm, so asking if he was there was probably pointless at 5 pm. She strutted anxiously, trying to stay professional as her voice cracked.

      “H-Hewwo... Uhhh, do you happen to know if N-Newton Geiszler is present, or allows visitors in s-some of the lower levels here?”

      Way to go, social anxiety.

      “I'm sorry, I'm afraid not. Mr. Geiszler isn't present, nor allows visitors, strangely adamant about no one poking around. However, do you have an appointment? I can schedule one if-”

      Sophia accidentally panicked in some sort of "Oh, oh God, new info!" type of way, mentally snapping that the woman never even saw her. Turning invisible, she could still interact with objects, their movement being imperceptible.

      Sophia sighed at no longer having to hide her embarrassed, actually impatient tone, rushing to the elevator, excited to even breathe the air in his room. She pressed the button for floor 20 about 170 times, purposely overplaying her anticipation for amusement.

      She knew she wasn't overplaying it...

      She gazed at a pamphlet which detailed all of the entertainment resources in the lower parts, actually not that many, just mostly food and TV. “Wow, I'm going to have so much fun here! But… Aah... No visitors and this many utilities? Oh, oh God, don't tell me that in his poor constant alcoholic state he may actually bring women home drunkenly!... Pshh, naah, he couldn't be like that. Aaah, yeah, that damn Alice! Stupid precursor, having him all to herself!... Hey, wait! Do penthouses even work this way!? I could swear they were hotels… Oh, but who cares!? Alice stole my boyfriend!" She fake cried, then actually devolved into almost real crying. Before it got worse, the elevator dinged, officially passing the point of no return.

      Immediately upon stepping onto the marble tilings of his room, she was sent into a hysterical frenzy. Running around, she expected everything precisely.

      She sprinted to his table, flipping through his papers, dutifully reading every detail. There sadly wasn't much on Newt himself, more about the Drone's programming and building, but even so, reading those documents made her feel like an old, biblical peasant being handed a Bible for the first time.

      Spotting his bottle of wine, she quickly pried it open. She later regretted this decision, in a craze downing the whole bottle in a minute. She didn't throw up, absurd with her powers, but she realized she may get drunk. Snapping, she prevented it, sadly.

       _What kind of monster would she be drunk!?_

      Finishing, she composed and became relatively calm. Walking to his couch, she sighed as yes, he did have a TV. Oh, but what kind of life would he have with no TV!? Well, maybe it'd explain the tv rooms downstairs. Trailing her eyes to the bedroom, she was thrown into another bout of insanity.

      She flung herself into his room, tossing herself on the bed, noticing just how cluttered it was.

      How relatable!

_'Clean room,'?_

_She left me on read!_

      Twirling herself in his bedsheets, she sighed, sitting. If she lost it this much just around his things, how the fuck would she be when she saw him for real!? Eh, actually probably better. Either her social anxiety or maybe even if she was calm around him would get in the way. But here... No one could see her love here! So why hold back!?

      She rushed to his closet, flinging it open, surprised to see more suits than the 3 she saw. Well, unlike in the first one, not having to care about his appearance, wearing the same thing every day may be a bit weird.

      Her eyes turned, staring at his chair and drift device. Slowly approaching it, she blushed, only intending to look at it, but then she stopped. Dead in her tracks. Utter loathing began to seep into her.  

      Ah.

      Yes.

       **_Fuck._ **

      She slowly contorted her body around to face the unforgivable, malignant bastard gazing daggers at her.

      “Hello, _thot._ ” She growled, rage tainting her voice. But alas, she realized that... Ugh… She had to…

      Sitting on the bed directly in front of the vat, she rubbed her temples profusely out of hate. Staring madly at the brain in front of her, she spat "You don't even fucking know what that word means, do you? It means _slut._ _An awful, repugnant, cheating slut._ _Ah, you act so anciently, having such unmodern customs, shall I call thee_ **_'harlot'?"_**

       **_Alice._ **

       **_Her arch nemesis._ **

      Someone who, if it weren't for the fact she legitimately stole Newt, committing the ultimate sin, a person that maybe she could even get along with.

      Not the first weird person she was friends with.

      But, of course. She knew full well the deeds of those colonizers.

      Fucking heinous bastards.

      She spoke, “Okay. Okay, okay, okay. For the sake of Newt, I'll try and be nice." She scowled.

      Alice, unexpectedly, was _terrified_ . Freezing in her tank, she tried helplessly to back away but couldn't. The sensors beside her tank flashed violently, her vat flashing red and grey. _"Who is this woman? What is she doing? How did she get in!? How does she know Newt!?"_ her thoughts raced.

      Sophia couldn't hear her, continuing "Hehe. I didn't know you could change hues. Red? Gray? Are you perhaps _afraid_ , Alice?"

      Her sensors beeped madly, and her hue changed black, trying to signal authority.

      "Oh? I assume the black is 'cuz you're scared, but in the other case, are you trying to intimidate me?"

      Green, then black. Suddenly, she felt powerful, knowing about those security cameras and glancing at the clock, knowing he'd return soon. _"Uncivilized?"_ She remembered earlier, _"I'll have you know we Precursors are highly advanced beings, human!"_. She slammed against the glass, knowing she'd die if it cracked, but was too blinded by rage to care.

      Sophia scoffed, "God, you worthless creature. Oh, you think I'm worthless too, don't'cha? Aah, I really am trying to be nice, but it's just so, so hard. I'll just pretend that was a suicide attempt out of fear and submission, kay? Now, now. Let me introduce myself, my name is Sophia. First thing's first, for peace reasons, I will establish right now that I know who you are, Alice, what you are, a Precursor, what you want, destroy the world, and I? Pshh, with this much knowledge, you must suspect I'm here to end you all. But no. No, no, don't even imply I won't help Nyu! In your arrogance, you probably think I'm here to kill you, and as much as I want to, **_I'm here to help you._ **”

Alice froze yet again. _"What? Huh? But how?"_

      "Relay this back. All of it. Now, explanation time! First off, I know you're confused, and so I know you can hear me. I can't hear you, but I don't even fucking wish to. Green for yes, Red for no. Testing, testing, one, two, three, can you hear me?"

      Alice shook. The blurbing from her tank making slight echos, disturbing the black void of the water. She seemed to hesitate. She didn't know why, probably suspecting a trap, but the hues of her vat slowly turned a shade of green.

      “Ah, _muy bien!_ Now, most importantly, lemme clarify something. Tee-hee, you most certainly heard me out there, right? Well... _Fhuhu, Newton-kun is mine now!_ Hahaha! Y'see, _Ali_ ... I'm _viciously_ in love with him! Oh, _doki doki_ , just thinking about him makes my heart race! Hehe, don't even try to fight me, you measly side-hoe!"

       _"Aren't you the side-hoe?"_

      She cackled, " _1._ You can't win! _2._ You'll surely see that I'm the best thing that's ever gonna happen to you fuckers! Now, now I'll establish some ground rules about my help and get into why this is such an excellent, dandy compromise! Now, number 1, _get your slimy tentacles off my Newt._ Really though, 'my' Newt is wrong, you see, he really doesn't belong to you. Not even to me, or anyone else. I'm a yandere, but I hate those possessive, controlling ones.

      Straight up abuse!

      I'd kill myself before hurting him!

      Now, while you have no control over him now, I'm not removing your evil influence for… _Ahem,_ many reasons. This is good for both of us! Instead of you having those disgusting claws prying on his mind, he'll assimilate with you all. Yes, I hate to say it, but he'll truly be a _Precursor_. You must like that, entirely changing into y'all with most likely make him even more obsessive in his quest. My side, he'll really be Newt! He'll act like he usually does, and no longer have such awful nightmares." She looked down, suddenly sprinting at her tank, clashing with it and giving the Precursor a wicked, sadistic smile.

       _“You have no control now,"_ her smile shifted to a furious, enraged scowl, _"Fuck-ing none."_ She enunciated.

       _“You can't make him do anything or make him talk in 2nd person.”_ She shuddered. _“Just so you know,_ **_I'm never fucking forgiving you. Fuck! You!_ **

       _You all are the single most inconsiderate, pompous, cruel, hostile, callous, dogmatic, inflexible, impatient, possessive, worthless fiends I've ever had to meet!_

 _Without me, you're nothing!_ **_Nothing!_ ** _I'm only helping to put a smile on my love's face, nothing more! I know what you're all doing to him!_

        _I fucking know!_

       **_I know you've tortured him, controlled him, deceived him, possessed him, you fucking turned him into a shell of who he fucking was! You turned him into a depressed, helpless alcoholic that probably doesn't even want to live! You motherfuckers! How dare you hurt my precious Newt!? You can't do anything to him now! Anything! You signed your death contract the moment you took advantage of him! How twisted, how despicable, exploiting the very thing he used to save the world for ending it! No matter how happy and fiendishly enabled I get from seeing his evil, he was never meant to be this way! You hurt him! Unforgivable! You took him away from the person he loved and set him up with an evil, foul beast who doesn't even love him! I know you don't! You don't see him as anything more than a tool!_ **

       _Oh, flashing red and grey?!_

_How pathetic!_

**_GOD,_ ** _I just can't fucking wait for the day I get to_ _kill you_ _ever so slowly! I might even put just the tiniest little hole in your container, letting your fluid drain so agonizingly relaxed! By the time you realize, it's too fucking late! You're doomed! Doomed to have your food and nutrients slide away in front of your eyes! You'll die at some time, but it'll be horrendous, the hours before! Knowing you'll die, helpless to do anything but send pointless distress signals to your pals that can't save you! Or, I_ _'ll just cut your feed off,_ _letting you fucking starve to death! I might come up with something so awful, so hellish that you might all pack up and leave out of fucking fear! Which one do you prefer, Alice!?_

       _Which one do you like,_ _Alice!?_

 _Oh,_ **_Alice,_ ** _I fucking hate you!_

_You're such a pathetic,_

_little,_

_whiny_ **_cunt,_ **

  **_Alice!”_ **

      Alice froze, unable to even process what she had just been told.

      Sophia retired, sitting on the bed and smiling gleefully. “Anyway, he can still talk with you, of course, but no controlling him. I'm actually physically restraining you from doing so. In case you couldn't tell, bitch, I'm a dimension hopper! In fact, tee-hee, I'm a _god!_ I have the power to do anything. Anything! I can erase your existence with one snap! But I won't. I hate it, but I need you. But right now, I know you think I'm lying. All bark, no bite? All talk? I love running my mouth, but I'm not playing, I'll show you.” She smirked. She thrust her hand out, quickly summoning a Rubik's cube that hovered above her hand. Very cliche, but the xenophobic kaiju would be utterly entranced by a Rubik's cube solving itself in mid-air.

      And she was right!

      Alice snapped out of her trance just to shake in her tank, the hues flashing an array of colors like she was... Showing emotion? It really just looked like a seizure. Emotion machine broke.

      “Now, I'll finally get to your favorite part. I'm going to, with my powers, help you destroy the world. Not for you, whore, but for Newt. His current goal is the destruction of the human race, so my goal is too! I will use my supernatural powers to help you all firmly colonize this world, just to help and see Newt be happy! Though, it'll be a while. I have a plan that matches up with Uprising somewhat. Oh, yeah! You guys are actually chronicled in a movie!

       _An awful movie._

       **_0 stars._ **

        **_Steven Deknight can die._ **

      As much as I'd love to complain, it doesn't matter right now. Now, the catch is simple, not even related to our goals. Only, you don't interfere with Newt's perception of me. I've changed it so that being under your control doesn't hurt him anymore as I said. That's really it. Aah, it hurts to change anything else! He's already so perfect! Oh, the very fabric of his existence is so impeccable that we should study how someone can just be so beautiful instead of other shit! Aah, I want to see if he too will be captivated by me as I already am. I don't want to change his feelings of me, I've sworn to never, but if he rejects me... It's a shame that a god of my caliber will die by such utterly human means. No, I am human. And y'know what? I think he's more human than most of the guys I know. Anyway, don't try to get him to like me. Don't drop hints or anything, let him decide. The outcome has mostly already been determined, but aren't the steps the fun part?

      Ehhh, actually, no. Well, sometimes.

      Really though, that's all. All there is. You'd be a goddamn fool not to accept. I really know you don't love him anyway. You never even liked him.” She glared.

      Alice immediately thrust her pods at the glass in response to the agreement, flashing green over and over.

      Good.

      Sophia got up, strolling to the stairs, eager to get away, but she stopped. Contorting, she sickly stretched her neck to the limits to stare dead at Alice.  "I love him, but I hate you. **_Don't forget."_ ** She strangely cackled.

      Alice sat.

      Of course.

      She really didn't, did she?

      She didn't love him.

      But of course, putting on the same facade every day does imprint it into your brain.

      Maybe she shouldn't have accepted so readily.

      Newton.

_That Newton._

      That Newton is unpredictable, what will she make of it?

      Is she...

       _Less blind than I thought she was?_

      As Sophia made her way down the stairs, she jumped as she heard a great noise.

      Someone had entered the apartment.

        **_Newt._ **

      As footfalls resounded, Sophia screeched “Oh my god, oh my god, Newt's here! He's finally here! He's here! He's here!” she shrieked, jumping up and down.


	4. CHAPTER 3: LIBERTAS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sophia questions her knowledge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super fuckin sorry for the wait people who actually bother to read this. In short, I focused on my vidya instead of my writing. So... I'll give you some foreshadowing in the end notes!  
> Also  
> Sorry for the opening segment, rest assured I cried enough over it for everyone.

**_LIBERTAS_ **

       "... What the fuck happened?

_ Eh~h~h! _

WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED!?

WHAT IN THE NAME OF GOD HAPPENED TO ME!?

_ I-I m-mean, _ I'm not angry or anything, I just-

_Aaah-_ WHAT HAPPENED!?

       I'M SO HAPPY THAT I HAVE TO KEEP MYSELF FROM SCREECHING HERE, BUT JUST WHAT?

Just what...

_ Just what happened to me...? _

I'm so happy, but how...?

I... I just  _ can't understand... _ "

**"͞Yo̸u. Calm͘ d͞ow̛n.̧ ͜Th҉ẹ̡rẹ҉ ̧i̸s n͞oth̢i̢n͞g͡ ͜wr̡o̢n̴g,̵ ͡júst̡ somè̛.̡.̀. Te͞ch͞nic̨al ̵d̷if̷f̛íc̛u̶l͠tìẹs̡.͟"**

"Oh yeah, there's  **_certainly_ ** nothing wrong. I'm just...  _ Confused, _ That's all."

**"St̴ay̵ ҉oưt of ͟wòŗ̣k.͞ Ẃ̷é͠ ̧c̕a͏n'̕ț hàvȩ ỳ̵ou͡ gǫing͜ ̕awry͜."̶**

"Ohoho, with  _ Liwen?  _ You know it'll be the end of days before she lets me stay out when I'm not sick."

**"͝Th͘a͜t ҉Li̡wen͜ ̀i͟s͝ ̀ņo͠thi͜ng̡ ͘comp̕a͝ŕeḏ͠ t̶o ùs, ̸sḙ͜rv͠à͞n҉t̛."**

"Hmmm… I sense  _ something _ in your voice… Aha, I was right! You're afraid! Ahaha! An alien hivemind, afraid!?"

**"D̕ơn'͡t g̛e҉t̨ c̶óc͠ky, pea̕s͟a͞n̵ţ! If yơu͠ ̡r͏e͜be̕l҉, ͟wél͢l,͠ wȩ͡ háve̵ ͢ṭieş ́t͞hát c̨an ̡makȩ ́y̨o͞ur ͞l̕it͏t͞le ͢'F̀ri̡ȩ͡nḏ͞,' ͏f͞ọṛ̢g͞e҉t̵ ̷a͘b̧oųt҉ ͏yóṳ.͘"̛**

"........ 

I'll kill myself before I let you hurt Hermann."

**"̢Oh̡,͏ ̨wè c͠oųld ͘make hi͞m ̶o͏ṉe̢ o͝f͞ ųs͘ ̨i͢f ẁ͟e t́ṛi̢ęd,͞ ̷c̴ǫ͞ų͠ḻ̡d͏ņ̷'t͢ ͡w͏e?̷ H҉aha̷,҉ ̡t̶h͠a͏t͘ ̛f̡oo͠l ͝wìl̀l҉ ͜șuṟeļ̷y ͝t̶rust̸ ̸ýo͏u, ͜he'll҉ n҉ev͠e͞r ex͠p̕ec͝ṭ͘ 'sweȩ̰t̀ l͏i̛t̷tļ͟e N͟ewton' ̵to ̡b̴e͞t̨ra͜y͟ ͡h͝im i͞n͏ ͟sųc͢h͟ ̧a͞ grọte͝s̡q͟ù͝e ẁa̕ý!̵"́**

" _ Urk!... _ Hermann is more observant than you think, you  _ bastards. _ Besides, I've already tried to invite him over like a billion times. What was it… Aah, 10 times and still counting… Actually, that's not that many, is it? Oh, should I try again!?"

**"Oh͝, ͏Gơd ͏yo͠ṵ'̡r̢é des͟p̢eŕa͢tè͢. ͝Ḩ̡e͢ḩe̵, bu͢t͏ tha͢t͝ w̸as͘ u̷n̷ḑer̕ ͟oṳŕ oṛ͜d́ęrs.́ Su̡c̴h͟ à̸ ḓút͘i̛fưl̸ sla̧v҉è, ͝i҉f y̶ou ̛ke̡e̢p͡ ̀up̕ ̡t͟h̨e g͟o̸od̷ ́wor̀ķ̣,͞ w͜e'l̀l̡ ͟g͡ív͟e ỳou̷ ͝s̨om͡è t̷i҉me̛ ͜o͞ff́.̶ Wa͏it҉-̡** **_N̡͟Ò͘͠͠!͘ ̵̸͢D́͞O N̴͜O̷͞T AD̵Ḩ͠E̸̶͘ŔÉ!̨"̀_ **

" _ Aha! _ You caught yourself quickly! Don't think I don't know what's happening, only the origin is unclear. Hehe, you're afraid. Afraid. Heh, you guys are never this talkative! And positive reinforcement? It's so obvious you're afraid I'll spill-"

**_"͢⌇⊑⎍́⏁͜͝͝ ̨⎍́͢͝⌿̴͟!͢ ⎎҉⍜҉⎍͜͝⌰̨҉-̷͡⋔͜͡⍜̶̛⎍̵⏁̷̡⊑̴̡̛⟒̶⎅̢͜ ͝⌇͘͠⟒̡͜⍀⎐̀͏⏃̵̡⋏̕⏁̛͘͢, ̶⊬͜͏⍜̶̡̛⎍̷⍀̵͘͝ ̀͟⍙̶͞⍜́̕⍀⎅̶͡⌇̢̡͞ ͢͟⏃҉̴⍀͠҉⟒͠ ̢⍀̵̢⍜̴͘⏁̢⏁́⟟̕⋏͜☌ ̧⍙͘⟟̧͜⏁͠⊑̶ ́⎅͏́͢⟒⎎́̀⟟̡⏃̡⋏̷͡☊̕͟⟒̨͟!̕ ̶⎅̢͢⍜ ͘⊬͡⍜̨̕⎍̧ ͏̴⎎͞͞⏃⟟⌰̡ ̵⏁̵̨⍜ ̡⌇̨͟͏⟒̀⟒͜͞ ̧͘⏁̡͢͝⊑̨͢⏃⏁͝ ̷⏁̧̢͟⊑̶̛͡⟟҉⌇ ̕͘☊͏̢⏃̷⋏͏҉͘ ̴̧͏⍜⋏̕͏⌰̡̡⊬ ⊑͝⟒̡͜⌰͠͏⌿̧ ͡⎍̕͝͝⌇͝!̧̀͟?̷ ̴̵⍙͏҉⟒͟ ͏☍̕⋏̀⍜̀̀⍙͢ ̸̸̨⊑́⍜͜⍙̧͏ ͡⊬̴̢͞⍜̷̢⎍͟ ̢̛⎎̛͠⟒͟⟒̷͟⌰̧͡͞,̵͞҉ ̡͢⋏̛⟒⍙̴̴⏁̴̢,̸͝ ҉̶⍙̡⟒̛ ☍͠⋏̶̡҉⍜҉̷̸⍙ ̨⌿̴⟒⍀̀̕͏⎎⟒̛͠͡☊͏̛⏁⌰̢⊬͢͞! ͞⊬҉̨͜⍜⎍̴̵͘ ̕☊͝⏃͘͟͞⋏͘҉'⏁̵ ́⟒̵̧̛⌇̢☊҉⏃̵̷͘⌿̧̀̕⟒͝҉̡,͏ ̵͢͞⋏̸̛̀⍜̡⍀ ͜͠⟒͞⎐̧͞⟒͠⋏̵ ̸̢͟⍀̴̴́⎍̡⋏̨ ͘⍜⍀ ⊑͢͟͡⟟̡͡⎅̴̢̛⟒̵͜͏!͠ ͡⟟̧͢⎎ ̵⊬͟͝⍜̷̴⎍̷ ͢͠⟒͢͠⎐⟒⋏ ⏁⍀̡͘⊬̢́,̢ ͜͝͝⍙̧͡⟒͢͞'҉⌰̨⌰ ̧̢⋔͏̧⏃҉̢̢☍̢͝⟒͏͜ ͝⊬͏̸⍜̧́⎍̕͢⍀̶͜ ͢⌰̸̴͡⟟⎎̡̢⟒ ͘⋔̕͡⟟̧̛⌇⟒҉͘⍀͏⏃⏚̸⌰̸̛͏⟒͏̨̧!̵̷͢ ́⍙̢͢͜⟒́͢'̷͘⌰̛̕̕⌰ ̧⟒̴҉⋏̛⌇̴͡⎍⍀̵̕⟒̷ ̕͝⊬̀⍜҉⎍҉ ̨̀⎅̷̵͟⟟͏⟒͝ ̶҉⏃̡̛̕⌰̧⍜̕⋏͜⟒̧!͏"̢͡_ **

**_ "⌇̸̢͜⊑⎍⏁̸̨͘ ̸҉⎍̸͢⌿̛͢!̵̛͞ ͝⎎͜⍜́⍜̧̨⌰̛͘⌇ ͢͡⊬⍜҉⎍̨͠ ͠⏃̕⌰̀͡⌰̡̀͜ ͏̕̕⏃͡⍀⟒̢!_ **

You think so desperately I'll fight, but no! 

This absence is only making me  _ more _ inhuman, Isn't it?! 

_ Hey, I'm acting just like how you all do, do I get to graduate!? _

_ Keep your trap shut, this world has already been ensured destruction! _

__ _ ……… .. _

__ But.... Nevertheless…..

_ Don’t you like this? _

There are some positives to this for both of us.

Don’t worry.

I want to help you more than ever.

……….

       …………

       ………….. So, please.

_ Please. _

_ Don't say I'll die alone……..." _

Clutching his sunglasses, the poor man seemed to be talking to himself all alone on the subway.

_ Was he happy? _

Certainly.

_ Was he fearful? _

_... _

Certainly.

 

**_~~~_ **

 

_ Aah, yes. _

_ Finally. _

**_Fucking finally!_ **

With heavy steps, Newt strolled into the main room, immediately calling out for Alice.

Sophia ran to him and jumped on him, nuzzling into him, "Oh, Nyu! I finally get to see you! Oh, I love you! I just love you so much!" She muffled against him. 

Sadly, instead of that warm embrace she always thought she'd find, she was met with cold, hard metal. 

_ Oh.  _

__ _ Yeah. _

Since he was a living person, he clashed with her current barrier for whatever reason and seemed to be instead a cold, metallic object… 

_ … _

__ **_Who cares!?_ **

She held him even tighter, him not feeling the girl holding onto him at all. It was almost sad, not sensing his warmth, and his unawareness, but it was ok for now. He strode to his table, putting down his briefcase and undoing his tie. 

_ How scandalous! _

He was wearing his red velvet suit, ironically the first one she saw him wear. Well, full on suit. He half-assed it in the first movie, but this one really got the point across. 

Y'know. 

Rich, 

Mature, 

Sleazy.

As for him, while his seeming interrogation left a bitter taste in his mouth, he was quickly cheered up by being back home alone with Alice. 

_ Alice... _

       Of course, h e was aware now. 

With their control apprehended, he was no longer blind. Sadly, he knew. But still, he felt a shred of love in his heart for her. Yeah, she was one of them, but she always was. He was one of them too now. And really, just because they couldn't make him do things anymore didn't mean he knew the whole story. He loved her, and he felt she loved him. Of course, he was still suspicious. He really despised them, despite being one of them. He found it ironic to actually kinda  _ enjoy _ being a Precursor, considering his previous torment, but he still hated their arrogance towards humans. 

Of course, they really were better off extinct. 

Most of the corruption occurred behind closed doors, but everyone silently knew that society was really crumbling. The Kaiju did bring a chance to unite, but the greedy took advantage of it like they always did. He harbored no hatred for humanity’s offense against the Kaiju, but the exploitation. And of course, he cared about the environment that was slowly getting destroyed too. 

But hey! 

Slowly! 

They had actually done pretty well! 

So, the days leading up to extinction should be moderately pleasant, right? 

       Of course, he still really loved humans.  Heh, he knew his reasoning was skewed, ending the world but liking them, but he had to admit, he loves them. 

_ Notably, he loves a particular human.  _

He used to be one, was he still one? No, the changes really were apparent. With his full assimilation, even in only those 3 hours had he slowly fixed himself to their behaviors. His appearance had not changed, nor base personality, but he found himself craving… 

       …. The weirdest things? 

He couldn't describe it, but there were just some things he was suddenly feeling. At least he wasn't feeling utter pain like he had those previous days. Aah, those old days were so hard on him, but now he seemingly felt at ease. Despite being more happy than usual, he took a swig of whiskey and chugged it, maybe a toast to his newfound identity. 

Sophia knew no better, letting go of him and just crossing her arms, playfully shaking her head. Apparently, his routine really hadn't changed.

_ Poor alcoholic Newt. _

"Hey, honey! Work was... Actually ok today! Hehe, for once, am I right? The drones are going smoothly, I've actually even finished their programming, and the building has also begun! I've also hooked up the rippers, so they'll be finished by our deadline. But still, so much work to go, I swear! Why is ending the world so hard?” He sighed, slightly giggling. 

“It's ok, Newt! I'll surely help you! I'm applying for Shao Industries in a few minutes, so I'll probably begin soon, ok? Don't worry, my love, you'll surely end Earth! Or maybe,  _ we'll _ end it?” She comforted, still aware he couldn't hear her. 

He made his way to his bedroom, still clasping his empty glass absentmindedly and sitting on the bed, facing Alice. 

“Anyway, more importantly, how was your day today, honey? Oh, pretty good? Ah, that's great! Aah, if you've had a good day, I've had a good day. Y'know, for once, Liwen was actually off my ass! She even commended me for my work!” As he spoke, she laid down beside him, resting on his lap, signaling to Alice to not try anything. 

“She told me that I'm  _ ‘finally’ _ getting some work done, ugh. I'm just so tired of her! Heh, imagine if I suddenly got some coworker to help me in the next few days, that'd sure be nice! But it’s hopeless, she'd  _ neve _ r give me a coworker.” 

Sophia's eyes flew open.

“Ah, she's probably gonna roll in tomorrow and just ask me to do some-  _ Huh? _ Oh,  _ no, no, no, honey! _ Don't worry hun, I'm not asking for, like, a hot coworker who I can put the moves on... Ehh, I don't know. I-I mean! I-I'd only like her as a friend! And I’ll only like her if she’ll help me destroy the world, which she  _ obviously _ won't.” He specified, rambling.

Sophia frantically checked to make sure she wasn't giving off vibes, aware they were literally talking about her showing up. Her first thought was that he could see her, but was being a ‘lil Precursor bitch’ and pretending not to see her. Though she knew that was ridiculous, Gabriel wouldn’t scam her like that.

“And even then, I’ll always like you more, so don't worry.  _ God, _ I couldn't ask for a better wife.”

_ “W-W-Wife…?” _ She couldn’t help but pout. 

“Hey, I'm actually pretty tired, do you mind if I go ahead and sleep? I swear we can talk tomorrow afternoon, ok? Augh, this change is getting to me...  _ O-Oh….. _ I hope you still like me...” He sighed, getting up. 

Alice slowly put a tentacle to the vat, reassuring him. Or at least, that’s how she interpreted it.

Sophia sighed, eyes closed sadly before quickly getting up, suddenly looking on horrified as she realized he was about to change into his night clothes. She spun around, facing the wall, almost even quaking. She would **_never_** look at him in such a compromising situation! Once she heard him finish, she rotated slowly to look at him, making sure she didn't see anything. Gladly, he was dressed and already in his bed. He sighed and clapped, to which the lights turned off. 

“How come you get that, and I don't!?” She griped. 

Her fake jealousy was then consumed by everlasting affection as she realized just how beautiful he was. She sighed happily, making her way to the bed, lightly trailing his cheeks with her fingers. Yes, she had been waiting for this for so long. 

So long. 

How nice. 

How utterly tantalizing. 

There wasn't anything she could ask for, other than this. 

She leaned down and kissed his cheek lightly, the freezing temperature assaulting her lips. She paid no mind. While she did care about other things, Newt was always top of the list. School and life were  _ nothing _ compared to him. 

_ Oh, she was indeed, genuinely delighted _ . 

She hesitantly departed from her moment, annoyed in remembering her plan, and checked the time. Apparently, it was a Monday, 6 pm, July 1st. Not bad. 

Hey, she could schedule the interview, go there tonight, and be there tomorrow! 

She quickly took out her phone, snapping to call Shao Industries.  _ Sorta redundant, yeah? _ In fact, she didn't have to talk to them at all, or even be interviewed, but Sophia was weird in that she liked new experiences. 

Sometimes. 

If there were no repercussions, she loved it. She wanted to experience it authentically in a way, maybe wanting to get exposure for her real job. That made her a bit of a nerd, and yeah, she was, but no, she fucking  _ hates _ school. She didn't even  _ like _ being as smart as she was. She distraughtly remembered her next summer, her mother signed her up for more summer classes. 2 weeks off summer is too much! She regretted saying she liked that one STEM camp, her mother taking it as an incentive she'd do it again. No,  _ bakaryo! _ She just loved the dorms, oddly relishing for once in waking up early to play on her phone. 

_ Hey, she met West there!  _

__ _ How unfortunate.  _

She sat on his chair, albeit hesitantly in a mix of knowledge and privacy, eagerly awaiting their answer. Then, of course, it clicked. The receptionist spoke in Mandarin, Sophia already snapping to be fluent in the language. Much to her dismay, she completely forgot about her ever prominent social anxiety problem. Though, she was slowly growing used to talking.

“Hello, this is Shao Industries! This is Jiabing, how may I help you?”

“O-Oh! Y-Yes, I'm sorry, I was wondering, do you happen to have any job openings?”

“I'm sorry, ma'am. I'm afraid we have no positions available. I can notify you when-”

**_“Shit!”_ **

“H-Hey-” the receptionist stuttered.

Snap!

“In fact, yes we actually do! We can schedule an appointment sometime soon if you wish. When would you like your interview, ma'am?”

“Tonight, at 8 pm, please.”

“That early? Alright, Ms. Shao will speak with you at 8 pm. Is that all?”

“Ey, yo, sorry for swearing earlier. Oh, you white-collar workers deserve the  _ world! _ These  _ damn _ corporations treating you all wrong, it's awful! I always try to be nice to you all, and if I slip up, I apologize.  _ Heheh, I should be allowed to hunt people mean to y'all for  _ **_sport!”_ **

“Uhh… I don't recall you ever swearing, but thanks? And I regret to inform you, I'm paid 55.00 by the hour.”

“Wow, the future is awesome!”

“ _??? _ But not really, we’re only paid that because it's the law, otherwise, our bosses would be fired.”

“Wow, the future sucks!”

“A… Are you a time-traveler or something?”

“Hey, homegirl, it's no different here!  **_Fuck capitalists!”_ **

“...Have a good night.”

“You too, friend!” She hung up, in a reasonably swell mood. Well, looks like everything is set. Great! 

Oh… 

But wait… 

_ Oh! _

__ _ She just basically told that woman she was a time-traveler! _

__ **_F-_ **

 

**_~~~_ **

 

Sophia had tiredly dressed into the same outfit from earlier, then decided maybe it would be fun to travel there instead of immediately teleporting. She almost struggled in a way, hating getting dressed, plus she was exhausted. Usually, she went to bed near 8, loving sleep. Ah, she hoped that blanket frozen in time back home wasn't lonely. 

She really did want to cry after learning Newt wasn't following her around.

She really believed it.

She swore he was, the things in her life sometimes too coincidental. When she asked him something, like make tomorrow fun, usually he’d respond, the next day a little odd. Sometimes he answered her requests outright. Sometimes he lurked around her room at night, causing noise and the like. 

She’d always say “Oh, come to bed Nyu, why are you up anyway?” 

There was one experience in particular that really sealed the deal. She was terrified of sleep paralysis, fearing it continually, but one fateful day she awoke to a shadowy figure looming over her.

It even moved its hand.

But the thing was…

_ She was pretty sure it wasn't sleep paralysis. _

_ She was on her side, turning up. _

__ _ Yeah, turning. _

__ _ She could move the entire time. _

__ _ The worst part. _

__ _ Upon seeing it, she turned her head, slamming her eyes shut and covering her head. _

__ _ It left, of course. _

__ _ But she was almost sad to see it go. _

“Oh, Nyu, don't think I don't like you! You just… Startled me. Badly. But don't think I'm rejecting you, my love!”

She soon began exiting the building, carrying–  _ not wearing _ – a purse filled with basically nothing but maps and things she might need. 

       …Which was nothing? 

       Her whole character was pretty redundant with her powers. 

       She whipped out the map, satisfied to see a convenient, direct route to SI on the Shanghai Metro, 8 minutes to arrive. She had planned to leave early, appearing professional in showing 5 minutes soon. Walking down the subway steps, she knew for sure Newt personally picked a place right outside a subway route to work, the convenience was just unreal. 

       Her mind was drawn to one of the puzzling things in this new world, whether the characters acted a certain way or did things because they were written that way, or if it stemmed from just being themselves in their own world. 

_ But… Wasn't it really the same either way? _

       The hall was filled with seemingly hundreds of people, the crowded area making her sigh sincerely. At first, she wanted to jump on the subway already, but this was the real, authentic experience! She passed over all the people, giving multiple ‘I'm sorry’s and ‘gomen ne’s, scooching by to find the attendant.

       “Where do you need to go, ma'am?”

       “Uh, downtown.”

       “Would you like a 1-time card or an unlimited card?”

       “Unlimited!” She answered, handing the full pay, 50 dollars in USD. She went to line 12, barely full. She rushed over, swiping her card impatiently, and soon entered and sat on the benches near the front. People piled up beside her, forcing her to sit near an adult male. 

       Whatever. 

       Not like she was afraid, but the prospect was a  _ bit _ uncomfortable. Despite the fact Newt was indeed 55, she fucking  **_hates_ ** pedophiles with a passion. She didn't immediately assume this man was, of course, she was merely wary. The ride started quickly, startling her with the fast pace of the train. 

       Thankfully, he made no advances at her, and the ride was just dull. After a while, the train dinged, and she rose up.  Quickly stepping onto the platform, she ran up the stairs, desperately pushing through the crowd. 

       Shao Industries greeted her, blaring with noise, footsteps, and magenta light illuminating numerous people passing in and out of the towering building. The streetlights were lighting various cars, figures, trees, and general department stores skirting the place. 

       She didn't think that a place like SI would have such generic stores surrounding it. 

       Neat! 

       She meandered through the front door, looking up to watch the elevators trace to the highest point as if disappearing into the sky. The main area was filled with plaques and mini models of things they were researching. There seemed to be previous projects as well, but her attention was immediately caught, she spotted a Drone figurine. 

       Walking to it, she traced her fingers over its frame and body. Yes, she could develop these much better.  _ So _ much better. Having already made her plans, putting them into action really would be simple. The Drone already went for quite a while, but many things could be improved on its destructibility factor. Mainly, she was going to implant predator DNA into the Drone's system, allowing the drone to enter into an awful rage state after being commanded to go nuts that would let the drone go for twice as long, with even dismemberment and decapitation not stopping it unless its core was absolutely destroyed. It would genuinely go into a horrific state, mutilating anything that gets in its way and being more fierce in the face of its enemies. The Drone’s physiology would be changed too, producing a bulkier, solid feel and more animalistic look. She would also equip it with multiple weapons, most notably an invisible harpoon meant to pierce through the conn pod and core, filling it with a gaseous form of conotoxin, intended to kill the pilot in no time and damage the Jaeger almost irreversibly unless hard work was put. 

       Yeah, it was her idea. 

       One of the most challenging decisions was either to make it that the Jaegers would not be able to intercept with Mega Kaiju in time. If not, the world ended, or have the plan go as standard, the Kaiju defeated, leaving room for her and Newt to chill on the roof, kill Lambert, and generally have some lovely romantic moments. The latter was obviously more appealing, so maybe she would do some background work to let the Kaiju “play dead” by secreting blood and looking appropriately damaged, she wanted the factor of having the pilots and citizens be absolutely mortified as the Kaiju rises after they've already exited the scene. 

_ Yes, this seemed like a good idea.  _

_        But alas. _

_        Such delusions of grandeur would be too much. _

       She reluctantly decided to have it go like the movie, things almost identical.

       Except for the end, of course. 

       She drew away from the model and gazed at the info below regarding Liwen and the drone program. Frankly, she already knew most of it and went ahead to the front desk. 

       “I'm here to see Ms. Shao in an interview. May I know where her office is located?” She questioned. 

       She was directed to the elevators, given the level 127, the second to last floor. 

_ Makes sense. _

       Why do CEOs always have their offices on the top floor?

       Wait.

**_Was she even the CEO!?_ **

_        She had to be, right!? _

__ Her common sense was pretty lacking compared to her academic.

       She was steadily approaching the elevators, contemplating her own intelligence when a firm hand suddenly gripped her shoulder just 5 feet from the elevator. She tilted her head backward quickly, eyes dazed from the intense conversation in her head. Her eyes grew wide, suddenly realizing that it may be Newt, but ended up returning dejected, disappointed to only see Kang looking her in the eyes. 

       “I'll be escorting you to Shao's office, for security reasons.” He said in a firm voice.  

       Honestly, being accompanied was ok, but she was currently depressed that he wasn't Newt. Ah, Kang, Kang, Kang. Did she care about him? Since he only  _ worked _ for Liwen, a little. 

_ She was cruel, but also not. _

       Stepping into the elevators after Kang, she went ahead and let him do the work in pushing the buttons and opening any doors they may come across. 

       Chivalry was not dead, but born anew, apparently. 

       But in reality, she was just tired. 

       She was usually sometimes asleep at this time. 

       The ride was tedious, the elevators fast but not fast enough to quell the awkward silence before it formed. Kang continued to look at her with firm, sharp eyes as she pressed into the corner. She wasn't uncomfortable, but her hatred of Liwen seemed so keen that being in the same building with her made her anxious. 

       “What is he trying to do? Intimidate me? Or maybe poor Kang is sending telepathic distress signals warning me 'Stay away. Stay away from Liwen.’” she chortled inaudibly. 

_ Speaking of. _ ..

       Desperate to break the deafening silence, she said in English “Do you perhaps know any English?” While smiling. 

       He had since lifted his gaze, but glanced at her before looking ahead, answering in Mandarin “I only know 'Hello.’” 

       Shouldn't you know some more languages if you're supposed to be a security guard? 

_ Y'know, for security reasons? _

_        Security? _

       She pondered, her stupid thinking making her laugh before suddenly being startled by the elevator dinging. The doors flew open, not wasting any time. He stepped in front of her, leading to Liwen's office. She followed, stifling a screech of anger as they steadily reached their destination.

_ More like Tartarus. _

_       Any lousy place, really. _

_       A place of unholiness in her mind. _

_       Sophia's perhaps most challenging task began. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm..... Don't you think the narrator overuses new paragraphs? And text formatting? I wonder why that is....


	5. CHAPTER 4: INFERNUM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sophia almost implodes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late chapter i didnt feel like taking the time yesterday lmao

_Hatred._

    _ Pure revulsion.  _

     **_Unadulterated loathing._ **

     **_You could say she loathed it all._ **

     _Everything about her._

_That vile woman._

     _As soon as Sophia laid her eyes upon that thin, well-dressed businesswomen, she almost collapsed in pure rage._

     **_This woman had tortured and berated Newt for so fucking long._ **

**_She deserved every punishment that ever existed._ **

 

     **_Liwen._ **

 

    The very prospect of _actually_ having to speak with her filled Sophia with unspeakable animosity. Luckily, she controlled herself and kept the calm, tranquil facade she had to put up around her.

    Liwen greeted her with a firm handshake, Sophia's sweaty hands no detriment to Liwen's agonizing pressure. She followed her into her office reluctantly, feeling as if she would be cursed stepping upon _unholy_ land. Then, Sophia eye-openly noticed that her desk was barren.

    Ah.

    This world _was_ their own, things not appearing in the movie occurring here. She had noticed in the deleted scenes she had feverishly searched for that her desk had at least one picture or object, but here, nothing sat on her desk.

    So really, Liwen was just a cold, disdainful entity all around.

     _"God, you're such a heartless monster! You're no woman, or even 'she'! You're an-"_

    Sophia caught herself, and felt almost… Bad?

    At first, she blamed it on her fear of being racist. Wanting to call Liwen an _“it”_ so fucking badly made her reel after thinking, Liwen being Asian, and a woman at that. Really though, she knew it was just her caring personality that bred feelings of empathy and admiration. Even for an unfeeling creature like Liwen, she felt a tinge of forgiveness. Sophia was like that. This was very peculiar to her, the ability to feel something like this for people she despised. At school, any idiotic person she met she held resent for, so why was Liwen different? Maybe it was the fact that those "idiots" actually meant something to her, her slight superiority complex making them seem like harmless jesters. Maybe it was the fact that Liwen was indeed, albeit in only a way now, fictional. She was standing here, gazing daggers at Sophia, but her outlines had been crafted by another. Maybe it was that everyone seemed to hate but respect her, Sophia's reputation almost like that. Well. In a way. She was more just seen as a smart, naive "class president" type.

    Or at least, that's how she saw herself.

    Maybe it was Liwen's senseless working skills, even calling an awful tragedy like Obsidian Fury a “good thing in hindsight.” Sophia envied the former, barely able to get any work done without her Adderall. As for the latter... She could never feel that way. Yes, it was very ironic she was intent on ending the world, but she always valued the emotions and wellbeing of others at school. This was probably the most contradicting quality about her appearance in this universe, she really was a good person. She felt love for minorities, immigrants, total strangers, even the aforementioned brainless idiots at school she felt she would miss them if they disappeared. Even for her rivals, maybe she felt a subconscious hint of pity. She would maybe, impossibly, miss them too. Having very few close friends, she saw everyone, good or not, as something. She masked it with “I'd only miss them because I couldn’t torture them anymore and ridicule them,” but deep down it was probably stemming from her instinctual urge to keep company. Not just from her abandonment issues, but from her genuine feelings that everyone except senseless murderers, rapist, pedophiles, and so on, deserved some hint of love.

    Love changes people.

    It can make the most analytical genius fall dazed as they wonder why they keep looking up from their book to sneak glances at their crush.

    It can make the most derisive, villainous person stumble over their own plans for fear of their love becoming frightened and fleeing.

    Indeed, wars were fought over love, and many tragic occurrences sometimes emanated from love.

    It can even make the sweetest, caring girl oh so desperately fight to end the very fabric of the earth and make her love feel the tiniest sliver of happiness, joy, literally anything other than misery.

    Sophia talked a lot of shit for not knowing really anything about philosophy.

    She snapped back to reality, focusing on the woman unlocking her briefcase, shuffling papers of counterfeit resumes, recommendations, and certifications of multiple Ph.D.’s. Liwen kept that same poker face, but Sophia was lucky enough to see her lips curl upward ever so slightly, indicating slight praise. Sophia sighed in relief, finally pulling up a chair in front of Liwen as she organized her papers and laid them on the desk. She sat with her hands clasped on the table, upholding the almost unbearable professional atmosphere.

    “Ahem. Welcome, Ms. Eldred." She went in for another handshake.

    Eugh.

    "Thank you for having me, Ms. Shao. It's an absolute honor to meet you."

    "Alright, let's get started, I expect you've already familiarized yourself with the procedures. Explain to me, in detail, the bulk of your education and qualification.”

    “Well, as you can see on my resume, my name is Sophia I. Eldred, and I am considered a genius by my peers. Even in middle school, I was making all A’s, and my GPA is a solid 4.0."

    That actually wasn't fabricated.

    "Since I am required to be completely honest, I am intelligent, but my productivity sometimes falls behind. However, my want for this job is so grand I will throw away that unproductivity and do everything I can for this company. I have 5 Ph.D.’s, and I have multiple degrees in science, mainly including robotics, biology, and biochemistry."

    Those last two were what she wanted to pursue.

    "My intellect can and will help this company achieve its greatest point.” She explained. She wanted to say she had more Ph.D.’s, but she had a fear of Liwen placing her above Newt. Oh, nothing would be worse!

    “You stated that your desire to work here is substantial. Could you elaborate?”

    “It starts to get personal here, but of course, it’s mainly my need to see this world a safer place. I believe that your drones can be the Messiah in new world protection. So many lives have been lost to the grotesque, depraved, evil Kaiju, and I don’t want that to happen again. I see you and these hard workers achieving a beautiful status quo that will protect the lives of millions, and, I know, also make money off this productivity. That’s the bulk of it, but my 2nd reason is more personal, and if you don’t want to hear it, I get it.”

    "Alright."

    "O-Oh."

    “Actually... No. You seem outstanding so far, and your personal ties here are something I'm curious about.”

    “Well… You know Dr. Geiszler right? To be frank, he’s honestly my hero."

    Liwen's face twisted, then reverted.

    "I’ve read all of his papers, research, and I am an avid fan. I hope that one day I can be just as great as he is, and the combination of him being present here and my desire to help makes me feel that if I worked here, I would soon reach the points that he managed to achieve. You can tell I see this company as everything already, even though I am still unsure of whether or not my repertoire is capable enough of landing me here.”

    “... That’s very interesting. I can understand your wish of being close to Newt if he's your hero, and your utter desire for this place is appealing. Now, moving on, what is one of the most difficult challenges you have had in the past, regarding work and your profession?”

    “I’d say the most difficult challenge I’ve faced has to do with deadlines as I mentioned. I feared that I couldn’t achieve my greatest potential under a set period and that I would start rushing, thus devaluing my work. But rest assured, since then, I have changed dramatically and no longer worry about deadlines, as I have adapted to pouring hours into my work for the sake of the outcome, even if it interferes with my personal life.”

    So, so far from her real values.

    “Splendid. Now, let’s think of a hypothetical situation," Her face seemed to darken, "Let’s say a coworker has been drawing you away from work, and you’ve begun slacking off on the job to converse with your partner. What would you do?”

    K-Kh!

    “W-Well, this situation would never happen. I will always focus on my work, and I’ll keep a healthy relationship with my partner, but not lose sight of my goals if their fraternization becomes incessant. Working here is everything. I would give the world to be here.”

    “Hmm…..your enthusiasm is touching. You seem like the perfect person for this job. You shall, indeed, be working with Newt as his assistant and co-head of the drone program. I am happy to say you’ve made the job, Ms. Mcadams. Welcome aboard.” she reached out yet another hand, Sophia standing, gathering her things after taking it and shaking it well, but not too firm.

    God, it felt fucking great to lie through her teeth to Liwen.

    “You start tomorrow, at 7 a.m and work until 7 p.m.” She rose out of her chair to retrieve a pen for signing her papers for formal employment. As Liwen peered into a dresser, Sophia made her way to the door but was then trapped by Liwen’s voice. Her tone was dark now, the first emotion she detected in Liwen's voice.

    “I don’t underestimate your working prowess, Sophia, but I must say that working with Newt will surely be hell.

    He’s egotistical, manic, and sometimes just sits there. Don’t expect much from him, no matter how smart he may be.” Liwen warned, Sophia’s deep-seated rage ascending to the surface. Not wanting to fight by her exhaustion, she spat a curt “alright” and quickly walked past Kang to the elevators, Kang trailing behind her instead. She pressed the button as Kang barely entered the elevator, concerned about whether or not she was feeling alright based on her attitude.

    Of course, she was.

    Of course.

    What did she expect?

    Before long she returned to the penthouse, yawning as she stepped into the threshold of his living room. She poofed her purse and new briefcase away, snapping into her house dress. She walked up to the stairs in the dark and climbed into his bed, wrapping her arms around his sleeping frame.

    He was beautiful.

    Still so beautiful.

    Time to court.


	6. Update

Alright.  
If anybody, ANYBODY reads this, you probably wonder where I went.  
Truth is, I've just been slacking.  
I love this story so much ill be honest. I like the fact that people read it now, but the pressures gettin to me. its summer, lots of free time for writing, yes? not exactly. because of my ADHD, focusing on writing is... fucking hard to say the least. i just cant bring myself to write, theres no motivation. thats not ur fault, tho  
am i abandoning this story? No! this is the PERFECT thing to tell my nonexistant grandchildren!  
"well y'see, back in 8th grade your nan wrote an awful story about her and her imaginary boyfriend. it was pretty fucked up."  
so instead, im going to switch the schedule up.  
Instead of fridays or whatever the hell, it updates When I Feel Like It™  
im sorry, i really am, i like my autism but hate my ADHD.  
not even my adderall keeps me safe. i can only write on it.  
its really depressing, i used to write all day. but now i just.... dont.  
im trying to work on a chapter now, HOPEFULLY....  
this is for the best, i promise. See ya.

 

 

 

 

 

PS. i forgot to omit my real name in the last chap because of that rush! Yall motherfuckers BETTER NOT HUNT ME DOWN OR ill curl in a ball and cry. my parents'll be like "wtf????"  
what even is this anymore. bye


	7. CHAPTER 6: OCCURENS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt has one of the most WILDEST days of his life.  
> He thinks.

     Sleeping peacefully, Newt was awoken rudely by his watch ringing erratically at 5:30 a.m. He sprung up, startled, before falling back and groaning angrily. 

     He knew instinctively that it was Liwen. 

     “Oh god, what the hell does she _want_ at this hour!?” He grumbled. He thought about letting it ring and then calling back just to make her wait, but knowing her, it could cost him his entire job. 

     Sophia, on the other hand, was fast asleep, paying no mind to his ringing watch. Why was it a watch _and_ a phone? She didn’t know, must be the future again. She was so excited about going to work and talking with him that she couldn’t sleep, so instead, she snapped to fall asleep. As you can imagine, she was out like a light. 

     Newt yawned, trying to not act annoyed as he answered the furiously beeping call. 

     Slurring, he replied, “Hello?”, knowing entirely well it was Liwen.

     “Newt. Come into work early to help with a few things. I’m not going to say, but you have a surprise waiting for you at the office.” She informed him. 

     He immediately knew something was very, _very_ wrong if she referred to it as a _“surprise,”_ and coupled with her usual authoritative tone, sounded very odd. If Liwen was speaking with any emotion other than hate, it must be the end of the world. 

     Yeah, she’d probably _enjoy_ the world ending! 

     How could she!?

     ...Did he get a promotion? 

     “Oh _god, what the hell does she want!?_ ” he exclaimed, knowing he was probably going to be greeted by another tedious assignment, finish it quickly, and then get scolded for his own skills. 

     If he got his work done early, shouldn’t she praise him instead of getting on his ass for “slacking”? 

     He got up sluggishly, mourning his sleep as he walked to his closet and tiredly picked out his blue suit. Usually, he had time to take a shower, but today, he just wanted to get there and deal with it already. 

     Really, it’s not like he hated work. 

     It’s just that Liwen made it tiresome.

     At the PPDC, at least he had Hermann to talk to, but at the office, he was lonely and doing work way out of his league. While his priority was ending the world, and that required working at SI, he missed the PPDC. It was a much, much more fun place.

     And, of course, _Hermann_ was there.

     He really missed Hermann…

     He quickly got dressed, finally really waking up as he fixed himself, brushing his hair, grabbing his briefcase, and saying goodbye to Alice. He descended to the ground floor of his apartment and hurried to the subway. He sighed in relief, having an unlimited card, and the subway only filled with a couple of passengers.

     Sitting on the train, he leaned back, almost drifting asleep before being startled badly by those annoying bastards in his head.

   **̴“Wh̷y did̸ņ’̛t͠ ̵y҉o̶u sh҉o̕wer this ̷m̴o͠rn̢ing?̧”̡**  

     Now, here’s the thing. Ever since they lost control of him, they got super fucking annoying. Now that they couldn’t _torture_ him, they tortured him.

     “No time. Why, do you care?”

     ̴ **“Sơr͠r̛y, ҉but̢ you̶ ņȩed̛ to keep u͢p͟ ̷t͝h͠at ͡hy͟g̡ie͟n҉e, ̴d̡o̧ you ͝k̷no҉w ͞h͢ow wo͏r҉th̶l̕e̛ss y̶ou̢’̧d b̷e̛ if̢ yo͢u go͜t ͠f̨ir̢e͏d ̴w̛he͢n͝ we’̕re so close̸?͘ No͜w̧ ̧tha̕t ͡you’re n͟ơt̕ ̛w̵i̸th ̡u͡s-”**

     “I am-”

     **͠“̧-͠Yo͞u͢ h̨ave͝ ͜n͞o id̸eą ͠h͢ow to be͝ ̵cl̢as̡s̡y. All ͞off̧ense ̵int̡ende͟d,͜ ̴but̶ ̴you̕ ̶are ņo̶t v̵er͢y͠ ͞f̛it̸ t̕o t͠hi͜s ͠role͡. But ̛we a͞re͘!”**

     “... Then do it yourself?”

      **“͜Ha̧,͞ ͡w̸e only̵ pi͠ck̕ed̕ you͟ be͟ca͏us̶e̛ ͘you ̸were ̴d̶um̕b̴ en͝ough t͜o dr̴ift w͞ith҉ us! S̕ţu͠pid!”**

     “Stop using our language... Besides, you needed someone smart, right? I have 7 PhDs! Well, counting the ones I got drifting with Hermann.”

      **͜“̨No, w̛e̕ ҉j͠u̕s̢t ͟us̕e͞** **_ou̴r_ ** **̶kno̡w͠l̛ed͟ge̢.̡ W̢e ͞h͡av͞e le̵a̷r͞ned͡ ma͟n͟y͝, m̧an͞y͡ thi҉ng̛s cap͝t̴u͜rin͞g ͞so ̕m̸any p̶ļa͠n͢e̸t̛s.̡ W͜e d͞on’̡t ̶** **_n̵e̛ed_ ** **̢y̸ou,͜ Newt, y͠o͡u ͏wer͞e ͟just̴** **_̛c͏onve͞n̛i͏e̕n͡ţ_ ** **.”**  

     “Wow, real comforting, guys.”

     **̶“͏Y̢ǫu̢ kn͘ow̷ ͜w̸hơ’̷s̡ not̶ ̸c̡o̴mf͢or͢t̵i̷ng?̷** **_L̸iwe̶n͘_ ** **!̶ ͢O͢h, w̢e ̧h͏at̴e͜ ͜he̴r̶. ͠Why d̢i͜d ̡we͢ sh̶e call ̧yo͜u ̨i̢n a̸ny͘way̵? You͘ ͟ma҉y̕ ͝actu͝a̢lly͡ be ͡ri̛g̢ht ̨a̶b͢o̕ut̷ w͜hat͢ yo̸u t̵houg̨ht.̶”**

     “Well, now- Liwen is a fine woman. She’s smart, sometimes funny-”

      **“S͏ome̛ti҉mes.”**

     “Sometimes she’s nice-”

      **“S͏ome̛ti҉mes.”**

     “Shut up! A-And! She’s pretty! But that’s not _that_ important.”

      **“Ơh̴,̴ ̵why҉ ̶did we ͜have͝ to ̢pi̸ck ҉such͝ a̶ n̶ai̢ve ma̧n?͞ ̢Face ͠i͞t̕, ̨New̡t.̶ ̡Sh̢e’͠s͏ just͘ ̡** **_awful_ ** **! An͟d ͞hey,͟ ҉w҉hy ͞a͟re̸ y͝ou̸ ̧ar̢g̷u͏iņg͜ ̨f̨or̴ her ņo̕w̶?̛ ̢Y̨o͠u hate͝ ҉h̢er t̕o͡o̵!”͏**

     “Cause’ you guys say my opinion doesn’t matter.”

      **͠“͟.͏.̸. Bahaha͠ha! B͠ưt r͘e̵ally tho̴ugh̷, shȩ’s̴ ͞a͠wf̶ul!̛ Y̵ou͡ ̧know th҉at̛ Li̴wen.͝ ͢Su̵c̷h ̴a ̵b͜itch, th̴a͝t̕ ̶w̧oma̵n̨!͜ ͞Y’҉kno͘w w̷hat̴? ̴Sh̷e̸’s ͢a** **_c-͡_ ** **”**

     “ _Woah, woah,_ _woah ,_ **_woah!_** Slow down there! No matter how mean she may be, _no_ woman deserves to be called that word, you assholes!”

      **“҉** **_C͏u̕nt._ ** **”**

     “Don’t make me fuckin’ hit myself, bastard!”

      **“Fin̡e͜, ̧f̡i͘n̕e. Y̢o͡u̵’r͏e̡ ͝n̸o f͏u̶n. ̵Y͘ou’̶r͟e̷ ̧gonna ca̕u͘s҉e a scen̛e.͢”**

     “I don’t care! Oh, and you’re one to talk about ‘fun’!”

      **“͘He̛y̧,̕ ̵w̵e͜’̢r͢e ͞f̶un̕.͟ L͟o͡ts of f̡u͢n.̵ ̷Isn’t end̕i̵n̛g th͜e ͟w̡o͏rld͝ fu̸n? Be͏s͏ides, ̸wh̛y ̴a҉ŗe̢ s͟o an̛g͜r͟y͟?”**

     “1. It _is_ very fun, got that right! 2. I respect women! You should too, bastards!”

      **“You͟ a̕lrea̷dy͢** **_k̸no̵w_ ** **w̶e r͟espe̸ct͡ ̕women͏. We h̶av͜e ͞w͟om̢en͞ h͡e͟re! ̸You̢ ͏h͝ave͠ ̸seen ͘we ͏a̧re ͢a͟l͝l ̴n͠ic̡e ͞to e͢a͟c̨h҉ ̨otḩe͠r͜.͡”̶**

     “ _Human_ women! Apologize!”

      **“L͢i̧wen ̛i̧s҉ ̵a ̡mo͞nster͜!͡”**

     “But not all women are! And since when are _you guys_ not!?”

     They sighed. **“͟F̛uc̶kin̸g͞ ̷f͝ine̴.͟ W̕e’r̷e̡ ̛sorry, wo͘m̸en̸ ̕a͜re gr̕ea̛t. H͜a̢p̷p͏y?”**

     Newt chuckled a bit, trying to keep it to himself.

      **“̢W͏h̛at? ̕What’̸s ͘s̡o ̡fu̢ckin̴g̨ ͢fu̴n̛ny!̨?̨”҉**

     He erupted into an almost cacophonous laugh before quickly quieting. “Y- no, no, I’m sorry, you’re- hahaha! You’re _sorry_? You’re never sorry! Oh god, it’s not even that funny- haha!”

      **“Hey, hey̸!̧ L̕o̸o̵k̸!”̷**

     He looked to his side to see a woman staring at them. His face flushed red as she moved to another part of the subway.

      **“A͠lri̡gh̨t,̕ ͟n͡o͞w̢ ͞we** **_aģre͢e҉_ ** **wi͏th̛ ̕her.̢”̡**

     “Zip it!”

      **“͜H͡eee͟y̨.҉.͢. Th͏a̸t ̷woma̸n ̶i̕s ceŗtai̵ņly̷ pec̵uli͘a̵r.͟”**

     The atmosphere of their conversation seemed to change.

     “Whadda you mean?”

      **“S͢h̵e ̴h̵as͟ ̵a̛n̵.͢..̨ ͡Au͠ra ̧t͢o h͢er. ̕H̕e͠h͞eh̵,̧ ͞if͏ on͞l͡y ̵w̴e͜ ̢c̵ou̡ld ̷s̢h̢ơw t̷h҉at li̧t͟tle̵ w̛om̴a̡n̡ ͞ou̡r ͜wo̵rl͘d and͢ co͏n̶ve͘rt̸ her. ̧Wo҉r̷t̢h̨l̵ess h͞u͝ma͟ns͝ li͢k͞e͢ he͟r͝ are go̷od͞ i҉n ̧the͜ ̧long̸ ͞run͘,͏ no̢ o̶ne҉ ̨eve͟r͏ r҉e͠a̷ll̴y̧ ̕expect̷s them ͞t̶o havȩ..̵.̨ ͞** **_sǫme͜thi̶n͠g_ ** **̵up ţh̛e̛i̢r sle͘ev̶e҉.”** The Precursors pondered in his head. 

     “Shut the fuck up right now! What did I just say about respecting women!? And humans!” 

      **“҉Sto̸p ͠de͏fe͏ndi҉ng h͟u͢m̛a̧ns͘, you k͘n̶ow̢ i͜t’s tru҉e. J͏us̸t b͞ecauşe ͏o̧u̢r gr͝ip͞ on yo̡u has loos͘ened m͢y͜steri҉ou̶sl͢y d̡o͞es͟n’t͠ m͢e̵an t͜h̴at you can h̨i̷de f͝rom ͡o͞u͘r ̶p̕l̶a͡n͜s̷. Y̧o͏u’re ̕al̵r̡e̵ad̴y too far͠,̶ ̢y͠o̕u ca̵n͢’͝t ̴st̢op.”**

     “I’m not stopping, and I’m not hiding. Why do you always think I will? I care more about this goal than you can apparently comprehend.”

      **“͏B̶u͜t̡…”** Their tone suddenly got sad. **“Y̧ou̕ ̵** **_mu̕s͠t_ ** **,̸ ͠shoul̨d̨n͏’͝t yo̵u?̢ Y͏o͡u’re ͝no ̛lo̧nger hu͞m͞a̸ņ like ͠yo̧u̵ were̵ ͝u̵nder̸ ͜us,͞ ye͞s͏, ͝b̴ut͠ ͘n̴ow̴ ͝you͏ ca̛n ҉do ̢what̵ ̡y͡ou w̢ant.̕ Why n̨o̢t̶ ҉t͡r̢y a̷nd̷ defea҉t u̢s?̛”**

      “I’m like you guys now. I even have your bullshit instincts. And that awful _rutting period_ , thank _god_ ours isn’t like normal animals, no... Icky stuff. I mean, I’m not even a mammal! Well, I _am_ a mammal, but I’m more like a lizard, y’ know?”

      **“Y͞ȩah,̨ we’re actual͞ly̛ ͢ķin͢da͟ ̢sor̕ry͝ ̸abou̴t͢ that̨,̶ ͜m̶a̴n̶.̧ Wi͜th ͘yo͏u͝r͝ ḩum̵an ͞bo̶d̕y҉, ͢those ̷ch̨a͞ng̕es ̴a͜re ͡** **_appąr̢e̷n͟t!_ ** **”̧**

     “Hey, I like it when you guys apologize! But anyway, this change not only means I still care about our goal, _but_ , I’m better than you now! The thing you idiots won’t learn is that being nice to your enemies helps! And cooperatives... I’m more human now, so now I can be a little bit better at our goal.”

      **“Y͢ou͘r phil̨os͜o̷p̸hy ̛i̶s ̷i͟nte͢res̛t͜in͏g̶,͝ b̧u̡t oh̨-s̵o̵** **_rep͠u̸gn̢ant_ ** **.͢ W̴e̡ c̨a̛n’t͏ ̡comp͡lain,͝ t̸h̶o͡ugh.͠ As̵ ̕lo̸n̷g̸ ̵a͟s y̵ou͠ hel̵p̴,҉ ͏we̢’re͢ c̛ont̨en͢t͏.”**

     “You better be. Oh, and about earlier, don’t ever call humans worthless like that again!”

      **“W̢e ̵sti̡ll ̕c͝a͢n̡’̢t̵ bel͠i͜eve͝ you ̵c͟a̢l͜l͝ ̧yo҉ursęlf ̵o̵ne͞ of ͜us ̡even͝ ̵a̢midst y͟ou͟r͏ o̴b̕livi͜ơusness̨.”**

     “No doubt about it, I’m still evil and want to end this cold place, but sometimes to succeed, you have to blind yourself of evil, and then you’ll see the hidden truth.”

      **“W-͢W͘hat̛? Wh͟at d͟oe͏s ̶t̢ha̷t ̛męa͠n͘?͢ ̴Wȩ d̷on’t ̶ge͘t ̷it.͠”̶**

     “Yes, you do!”

      **“̢We ͢r͞e̛all҉y̴ ̸do̕n͝’̴t.”̧**

     “Aagh, fine then. It means-”

      **“̷Y͞’k̕n̷ǫw͞ ͡w҉h̨a͟t,̵ ̡sh̢ut u͞p,͝ ͝we’҉r̕e b͠or҉ed now̸.”**

 

**_~~~_ **

 

    The office was empty, as his workers had not arrived yet, it literally being _5:40 in the morning._

     They made a law that says you can’t make your staff do that, so why did he still have to suffer? 

     He sighed, eyes darting to the power core currently judged silently by Liwen. As she sat on a chair she had pulled up from his office, her gaze was fixed on the latest update to the core. 

     It was quite nice actually, a small update to prevent pilots from mutilation in case of malfunction. Newt didn’t mind, he loved his workers. 

     Even if Daiyu hated him, he didn’t hate her of course!

     Liwen had heard him enter but paid no mind, she didn’t consider that it was worth the effort to look. He rolled his eyes, faking an enthusiastic tone as he greeted “Hey boss! How’s it going? Everything going all right? I hope it is!” 

     He was purposely trying to be annoying. 

     The usual morning routine was like this, sadly. Even with other people present, Liwen made no move at them aside from orders, except on rare occasions. His first day was genuine enthusiasm, but now it was unfortunately forced. He didn’t _dread_ going to work, but he didn’t really like it either. At least he was slowly completing his goal and ending the world...

     Entirely unexpectedly, she began a conversation. Albeit about work.

     “How is the development going?”

     “All according to plan! Full development will be done in 7 months!”

     “Any chance you can shorten it?”

     What about ‘we’? “I’m afraid not, 7 months is required to have a smooth interface and operation, ma’am. If you want, I can try-”

     She sighed, rising and returning the chair to his office, him following beside. The door, on the opposite side of the power core, was kinda heavy, and he offered to open the door for her, but she pushed past him, not even giving a _“thank you”_ for the effort. She set the chair down in the back of the room, a sound of confusion escaping him. 

     “Uhh, it goes here, like, beside my chair-EH!” He gasped, startled as she opened the storage room and turned on the light, revealing a full-blown desk and other supplies crammed into it. She held the door with her foot and pointed at the desk with a blank expression. 

     “Set it up.”

     “I have a storage room!?”

     “Move your desk all the way to the wall and lay this one besides yours. You’re getting a new coworker-slash-assistant. Make things nice for them, and I’ll see about giving you a _‘no demote’_ pass.” She was curt, only saying what she needed to before walking out.

     “W-Wait!”

     “What is it now?”

     “I’m... Getting a new coworker!?”

     “Yes?”

     “... Are they a girl or a guy?”

     A smile passed her lips, “Not telling.” She left.

     He stood, baffled. He sighed, knowing it would _most definitely_ be a guy, Liwen would never trust him with a woman. Well, at least he was right about having to do― She barged in again.

     “Why do you keep an extra chair beside you?”

     “My legs get tired!”

     “...”

     “......”

     “.........”

     “ _Please_ , Ms. Shao, it’s one of the only things I have...”

     “I didn’t say anything.”

     “You were going to!”

     She chuckled, “You’re lucky you’re smart, Geiszler.”

     God, could things get stranger!? The precursors, a coworker, and now Liwen’s getting likable!? Was the world ending early?

     Anyway, as he was thinking, at least he was right about having to do more stupid work. He kinda liked being right. However, physical labor was not that easy for him. In fact, he didn’t like having to arrange this guy’s desk! He could do it himself! After making an almost inaudible noise of anger, he got to work.

     His office was at least a little big, certainly enough room for 2 desks and cabinets, and the desks were quite big, enough room for at least a few trinkets. He had not a lot on his desk, but that was only because of the Precursors. He only had a tiny little Kaiju figurine of Otachi he wanted to have there, but apparently, Precursors don’t like much self-merchandise, and that was all he could have. Now that they were powerless, maybe it was time for a little redecorating. 

     As he was working, he really thought about the prospect of having a coworker. 

     That could be bad. 

     Very bad. 

     Sure, he enjoyed conversation, but they could learn about him and rat him out. He’d have to be careful, and sometimes he hated that. However, having an assistant *would* be helpful, he could help out and do other things. But... Knowing Liwen, this new coworker would probably be a little overbearing. 

     Wait. 

      _Shit._  

      _He didn’t speak mandarin that well._  

      **_He couldn’t even tell him to do things unless he spoke English._ **

     Well, Liwen would take care of that, right? 

      **_Right!?_ **

     He paced, growing frantic in his arrangement of items and furniture. Before long, he was finished with the task, but worry still overcame him. He sat down at his desk, clutching his head in unneeded concern. 

     Maybe they’d be nice! 

     Or maybe not!! 

     Maybe they would be a hard worker! 

      _Or maybe not!!!_  

     Well, he couldn’t really complain about that, Liwen’s favorite card was that sometimes he wasn’t on the job. Work was easy for him though, so he wasn’t slacking, but finished early. She always takes things at face value and only recognizes what is strictly essential. Next thing he knew, she may even use him as a personal footstool... 

     He continued to worry and worry, the Precursors being desperate to calm him down, as the strain affected them too. He sighed, laying his head on his desk, wondering why he was so worried. 

     Maybe this new change had a more significant effect on him than he thought, he never worried this badly. 

     Maybe he had some sort of deep-seated recognition that something was going to change very, very soon. 

     The change he underwent recently was significant enough to stand on its own in his eyes, but he had a feeling more was going to change. 

     He looked at the clock. 

     7 a.m. 

     Regular work hours.

     “Now, maybe it’s time to-”

      _“Hello! Nice to meet you!”_ a voice called out.

     He almost jumped out of his chair at a new voice exclaiming at him. He looked up, dazed, his eyes widening as realization spread across his face. 

     He realized maybe he forgot one aspect of a new coworker. 

     

      _Maybe it really could be a she?_

 

     ............

      _Oh._  

     He stared at her. He didn’t realize it, but a blush was beginning to spread across his face. 

      _“Oh, holy shit, holy shit! It’s a girl! It’s a real-life woman I’m gonna have to work with every day!”_ He thought.

     Well, it didn’t matter anyway, he wasn’t worried about him falling for some stupid girl. He loved Alice, and no one else. Just, the fact it was a girl made him a bit worried. 

     She was probably going to think of him as annoying, and dealing with one more awful person made him shudder, or, more likely, having to calm a poor woman down over Liwen. Not like he would get angry for her getting sad or scared of Liwen, but it might be a _little_ annoying. 

     He analyzed her, scanning her up and down. The blue light of the tech outside illuminated her, and he saw that she was dressed in blue, his favorite color. 

      _Because of course._  

     Her dress was quite short, and her skirt was no better, resting above her knee. The patterns seemed very Chi- _No_ , Japanese. Her stockings were tight and magenta, making for a peculiar contrast. Her dress shoes were blue and black, and overall, her outfit was beautiful in his opinion. 

     He glanced up, finally getting a look at her face. 

     She was a pretty woman, appearing a bit young since she was wearing no makeup at all. Not like he cared, he didn’t think women should be pressured to wear it. She had light acne, a few bumps on her forehead and- Wait.

     How old is this girl? 

     She really looked awful young, but he trusted that Liwen, no matter how crazy, wouldn’t hire a minor. 

     She noticed his gaze and tilted her head with a “How do I look?” while pulling up her skirt a bit playfully. 

     He leaned back quickly, looking away and loudly exclaiming, “Uh, uh, fine! You look fine.”, barely managing to get it out. 

     She chuckled a little bit and walked to lean over her desk, standing beside him just a foot apart. She laid her briefcase down and sat on her chair, facing him. He swallowed his frankly odd embarrassment, as he usually didn’t have that much trouble with social interactions. He slowly reached out a hand, and she took it, shaking it softly like she wasn’t worried about an impression. 

     Usually, he didn’t care either. 

     He noted that her hands were soft but dry and cold. Her fingernails were of uneven lengths, but it didn’t appear to be bite marks but constant chipping. 

      _“Wow, really no makeup. Finally, somebody, I can relate to, with all these guys picking it up lately.”_ He thought.

     She retracted her hand delicately and continued to smile happily at him. 

     “Ok, let me start off by saying I’m literally, like, your _biggest fan!_ ” she proclaimed, holding her hands together and smiling dumbly like some kind of anime girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm tryin to get back in the groove, but this is where it kinda picks up so idk maybe ill write more now.


	8. CHAPTER 6: COLLOQUIUM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How to act suspicious but not get branded suspicious, a novel by Sophia

      _Thump._

_Ba-thump._

_“Haaaaa…” She thought._

     “ _H-Huh!?_ I- Wait, you _are!?_ ” he said, confused.

      _“H-Haaaaaa…”_

     “ _Yes!_ My name is Sophia Eldredge, and it’s so lovely to _finally_ meet you, Newt-senpai!”

      _“Kh-”_

     “I’ve read all your work, really! I’ve read all your papers on the kaiju and the design plans for the drones and more! I know this probably sounds creepy, but I genuinely am a diehard fan of yours!”

      _“Oh, God, Oh, God.”_

      “I wanna be just like you someday, Newton-kun!” 

      _“Yesss- Kh! A-Aah!”_

     “Sorry, but you’re just so smart and kind that I can’t help but gush! Oh god, I probably sound like a freak…. “she laughed nervously.

      _“Fuck, oh my God,_ fuck _.”_

     Unexpectedly, he grabbed her hands and replied enthusiastically, “No, no, no! You’re wonderful! I never knew I had _such_ a huge fan lurking out there! I’m flattered, I truly am!”

      _“Ahhhh- OH MY GOOOOODDDD!! NEWWWWTOOON! OH, OH, I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH I COULD_ ** _DIEEEEE- ”_** 

     “Oh, good!” She smiled sweetly, “I try not to be creepy, but sometimes it’s hard for me, heh.”

      _Seeing him for the first time was proving to be utterly euphoric._

     He chuckled, “Trust me; I get it. Some of my friends would probably describe me as… Terrifying sometimes.”

     “Oh, really? Well, you don’t scare me! Ha!”

     “You’re phrasing it like it’s a competition, what do I need to do, try harder or something?” ~

     She quickly realized she was maybe _too_ friendly, but he seemed to not object, even playing along.

     “No, you really don’t need to put any effort in, to be honest,” She laughed, “I’m such a scaredy-cat, I just get so scared in some situations. Sometimes my friends will sneak up on me, and I just jump so easily, but… No matter what you do, _you_ specifically can’t scare me! Even if you were a monster, I wouldn’t cower in the face of my senpai! Aside from that, ironically, most of my favorite movies are horror movies…”

     “You’re lucky I know what that honorific actually means aside from anime.”

     “Why?”

     “‘Cause I might think you _like_ me.”

     “O-Oh!”

     “Sophia, if you do have a crush on me, I understand-”

     “I don’t!” She hated to lie to her love.

     “Heh, anyway, you said you like horror movies? I honestly don’t like them so much that they’re my favorite genre, but I’m interested to know what your favorite movies are.”

     “Wow, work is better than I expected! I really enjoy sci-fi and old horror, and my three favorite movies are Event Horizon, Re-Animator, and Starship Troopers. Yeah, I really like old sci-fi horror, don’t I? Well, Starship Troopers isn’t really horror, but it is old. Though you could have arachnophobia! Ah, I’m predictable. Anyway, honestly? I’m not proud to say how many times I’ve watched Re-ani...”

     “I know I said I’m ok with horror, but I like science fiction so much that I’ve seen all of them and I can’t blame ya’ about Re-Animator, it’s actually a good movie for back in the days. Of course, on account of it being the 80’s, some of the things there I didn’t quite… _Enjoy._ ”

     “Wait, you’ve seen it!? And yeah, I most certainly understand. I feel like they coulda’ done so much better with Meg… What they did to her adds no emotional depth to the story.”

     “Yeah. People like Hill make me fucking _sick._ ” He emphasized a “ _kh_ ” sound at the end of his sentence. 

     Of course, she agreed, Hill can perish, but she _really_ felt the malice in his voice. True malice. Seems like he really didn’t lose his Precursor aspect. 

     She chuckled, about to confess that he reminded her of West, but stopped short. She realized if she did, she’d give herself away. All the aspects that told her of West were things she couldn’t have known from so-called “ _papers_ ” and were from him being a Precursor.

     “Yeah! I’d most certainly kill Hill myself if I could. Weird enough, if we’re talking about the original too, they really fucked Hill over. He was a pretty nice guy, I mean, if West did to me like he did to Hill, of course, I might also go on a killing spree.” She let out a dry chuckle.

     “Wow, you’ve read it too? Your devotion is interesting, but I’ve read it too so I guess that means I’m devoted too, huh? Ah, but I don’t enjoy it _that_ much. That scene was so,” He whispered, “ _fucking_ awful that it kinda ruined the whole movie for me.”

     “Can we not swear here?”

     “Oh, we can, but I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

     “Your priorities are a little split, but ok. Anyway, I’m a woman, so I guess I was just… Used to it. I never really watched that part though, I just covered my eyes. I wish I could defend it by the ’80s and that it’s dark humor but really, really defend it? Fuck no.”

     She didn’t really _watch_ it all that much either. Being in love with West at the time, she only paid attention when he was there. After she left him, she only played it in the background for noise, not paying any attention. She also watched the sequels, enjoying them but then never entirely watching them. It was sadly just like Pacific Rim. Watch it once, then only pay attention when Newt’s there.

     Wonder how Newt’d feel about that...

     “Yeah, it may be shock humor, but it was just so… Unnecessary. Why was the second one the only one that didn’t have _some_ kind of sexual abuse?” He grumbled.

     “Yeah, I like the second one. It used to be my least favorite, but now I guess the third one is. Ha, it’s the opposite with Starship Troopers! I hate the second one, but I love the third one!”

     “I’ve seen all of your movies, but I haven’t seen the other Starship movies.”

     “You can just skip the second one and watch the third one. The second one _barely_ has any damn Bugs! Just Bugs that go around mind-controlling people, which already gives me bad feelings.”

     He muttered a “Hm?” Under his breath.

     “But, there is a scene where a Bug gets zapped that I think is pretty funny. The third one isn’t better than the first one, but I like it because there’s a mole for the Bugs in the Federation! Ha, if I didn’t worship God, I think I might worship Behemocoytal!”

     “ _Hm?_ ”

     “The way they spell it makes me angry, they spell it like ‘coytal’. It shoulda been ‘coatl’, like serpent, even though it’s not a snake, it’s a giant Bug. It could also be like Quetzalcoatl since they’re both deities and giant animals. Again, more like an insect.”

     She had to resist saying “ _angery_ ”, like that one meme she loves.

      _“Boy, what random knowledge to use like that about a stupid fun movie. She really is autistic! Ah, just like me.” He thought._

“Sorry for egging on about a movie you haven’t even seen.” She added.

     “No, no, it’s fine! I would’ve watched it, I just never got the time.”

     “The third one really bothers me, though, because the bugs look like _toys_. Guess they didn’t have the budget for special effects to make the Bugs look good. Or they spent it all on Behemocoytal.”

       _“Random knowledge but getting other things wrong even though they’re fairly obvious. Also like me!...”_

     “Guess I’ll just have to watch it to find out my opinion.” He said, “Maybe we could watch it together?”

      _“Holy fucking shit!” She thought._

“Huh, yeah, that would be nice! Maybe in a week or so, I guess?”

     “Yeah, that sounds nice. Let’s hope I don’t forget! Anyway, I think my favorite movie of yours is Event Horizon. I remember seeing that in the theater! Wow, Weir and Book Hill are kinda alike, aren’t they? Well, except Weir got fucked over _very harshly_.”

     “Except I like Weir! In my opinion, objectively, yes, Weir got fucked over worse, but metaphorically? I think Hill wins. I mean, think about it! Imagine being a normal person in the original work that already got bad treatment, but then getting developed into a movie where they turn you into an old rapist! With Meg not existing and Lovecraft being so afraid of sex, he doesn’t get the chance to do anything horrendous. In the movie, they pull plot points out of thin air and make Hill disgustingly evil just because they can! I bet Hill would gag if he knew what they did to him. That’s worse.” 

     She sighed, “Ohh, but Weir also got bad treatment, no doubt. Poor Weir. I feel really, really bad for him — ohh, that damn ship! Though I usually root for the evil side, I still feel like it should have left him alone. Preying on him like that when his wife killed herself… Can you imagine being turned to evil by the very thing you took pride in, and end up being assimilated into an alien entity? I don’t know what that would be like, but it sounds awful.”

     He gulped.

     Quickly, he changed the subject, “So you must really like Lovecraft, right? I mean, if you’ve taken the time to hunt down Re-ani when most of the time, it doesn’t appear in the collections.”

     She wanted to keep talking about Horizon, but it seemed that she was _too_ fast. 

     She followed him, talking more about Lovecraft.

     “Yes! I loathe Lovecraft himself and his convoluted writing, but his premises and stories are amazing and interesting.” She chuckled, “Y’know, my favorite god is Azathoth. I think it’s funny that it’s repeatedly told if you worship him you’re barking up the wrong tree. I don’t know; I guess the idea of an incomprehensible being floating in space surrounded by legions of horrors playing hellish music to keep him from waking up is interesting.”

     “ _Ah_. My favorite is Nyarlathotep, probably based on the fact he’s more… Interactive? I like the aspect of him stalking the streets at night, tainting villages and homes with evil knowledge that drives them mad. Plus, I’ve see Haiyore Nyaruko-san-”

     “You’ve _seen Haiyore Nyaruko-san!?!_ ” She interrupted.

     “Have you?”

     “O-Of course! I mean, I haven’t finished it, though.”

     “Ha! It’s pretty obvious that you’re a total weeb if nothing else, but I bet ya didn’t expect me to be one too, huh?” 

     “You’re the one that brought that up, and well! This _is_ a sophisticated working place, and I guess I didn’t expect someone working here to be so fun.”

     “And yet we’ve _both_ spent an hour talking about random shit.”

     “Kh!-... Well, I bet you haven’t seen as much anime as I have!” 

     He laid his hand on her shoulder, with the sudden physical touch from him almost making her screech. A blush grew bright red on her face as he leaned into her and said, “Trust me. I’ve been around longer. I’ve probably seen a lot more than you have.” His voice was emanating superiority. 

     She didn’t know that a topic like anime would drive him to do something like this! 

     She stuttered, “Uhh… Y-You’re probably r-right.”

     He retracted his hand and leaned back, giggling at her sudden surrender. “Heheh! I’m just kidding, Sophia! I don’t doubt that your collection is vast and enigmatic. I bet- _wait_. _Oh no_. Ahh, as much as I’d like to continue talking, you should probably set up your desk before Liwen loses her shit.”

     “U-U-Uh, yeah!” She said, quickly getting up and swiveling her chair away. She reached to her items case and set it on the table, opening it with the code she used for everything recently, 426.

     “Hey, can I get your briefcase for a moment? I wanna look at your files.”

     She unlocked it and gave it to him, him opening it and going through her files. 

     She got from her case a few personal belongings, mostly consisting of light novels, a purple fox eraser, a manta ray figure, some cool rocks, a lucky cat figure, a geisha figure used for good luck, and three glass dragon figurines. She set them on her desk carefully, in places where they wouldn’t be in the way but wouldn’t fall. 

    He read over her files and gave compliments to her, commending her for her vast intellect. 

    She snorted, “Intellect? Nah, Nah. I’m book smart, but I have no common sense.” 

     He laughed and put her papers up. Honestly, he was starting to like her, but of course, she was human. 

     Human. 

     He wasn’t going to be excellent friends with her, no matter how nice she was. Just simple icebreakers and light bantering, that’s all. The only human he trusted and cared for was Hermann, but unfortunately, he didn’t want to involve him in his plan, so communication was limited, even beyond what Liwen allowed. 

     And even then, Hermann was but a blip in the grand scheme of things. He mattered, yes, but the world’s fated destruction mattered more. 

     Maybe just a bit more.

     … _Maybe_.

     Speaking of, he felt a grin spread across his face at inevitable entropy. 

     It would be very, very soon...

     His thoughts were broken by the dragons lining her desk. He leaned over, interested by them. 

     “So… What’s with the dragons?”

     “Oh! Uh, ever since I was little, I’ve been collecting them. I have more at my house, but they’re fragile enough already.”

     He nodded and leaned back, glancing at the light novels she had brought. He silently grabbed one, “Nisemonogatari: Fake Tale, Vol 1.” 

     She noticed his movement and lightly plucked the book out of his hands, instead handing him one titled “Kizumonogatari: Wound Tale.” 

     “Kizu comes first, then Bake, Nise, Neko, etc.” She informed him. 

     He appreciated the effort to explain it to him. 

      _Better not tell her he had seen the whole thing._

     Soon enough, she was finished. She looked triumphantly at her desk, neatly fitted, for once, with items, paper, and instructions. 

     He looked at his watch and sighed, grabbing the directions from her desk, lightly smirking as he got up and gestured to the door. 

     “Liwen says she wants me to take you on tour around here.” He informed Sophia. 

     She nodded and headed to the door, opening it for him as he walked by. He stood outside, her walking to him as he introduced parts of the area. 

     He spread his arms out and said triumphantly, “So, this is all _my_ lab!”

     She replied enthusiastically, “Oh, wow! I wish I had such a space all to myself.” 

     He chuckled and placed a hand on her shoulder, “If you work hard enough, I’m sure you will. Maybe.” 

     “Why maybe?”

     “Only if Liwen promotes you. Which is always a _maybe_ …”

     He walked to the simulated power core, and just before he started talking, he quickly realized and asked: “Wait, do you know all this already?”.

     “Yeah... I do, but if you want, you can still explain.” She said, smiling. 

     She honestly had no idea what attitude she was putting out there, but she didn’t want to be like the girls at school and conform her personality to his. 

     Absolute nightmare scenario.

     He smiled back, glancing at the elevators. 

     He felt that if he continued explaining it, that might imply she was dumb, and he would definitely not want that.

     Absolute nightmare scenario.

     He always never demeaned women; he was insistent on enforcing chivalry. His mind drifted to memories of when he went on the women’s march and sighed, missing such moments. 

     He asked if she knew the maps around here, receiving an embarrassed _‘no’_. He chuckled, walking to the elevators, her trailing behind like a lost puppy. 

     He was about to push the button when a voice called out to him.

     “嘿! 老板!”

     His head crooked sideways slowly, sighing an “Ehhhhhh…?”

     Daiyu puffed angrily, “When will you learn that damn language, boss?”

     “I’m trying, Ms. Zhou! It’s just… Hard, y’ know?

     She sighed, “I’ve been learning English, and I’m wording good! Others won’t, that’s true. Hey, if you try good you can be better than everybody else, isn’t that you desire?”

     “No?”

     “Then why does Liwen say you do, 蟑螂?”

     “I dunno!”

     Sophia interrupted, speaking Mandarin. 

     “Are you all right, Daiyu?”

     “When the roach is around, finding tranquillity is like 9 cows and 1 strand of cow hair.”

     “Ouch!”

     “Are you the new intern? Better than Geiszler.”

     “Yeah, I’m his coworker.”

     “Hah! Good luck with the roach!” She strolled off to do some work.

     Sophia thought about telling him she kept calling him a cockroach, but she liked Daiyu, better not get her fired.

     He sighed heavily, pushing the button for level 56, near the middle of the building in general. As they entered the elevator, he explained, “Most of the things you have to know is just that at the bottom where we are is where the drone engineering program takes place, various offices, and research institutes, and the upper levels are the same. The only place we have for relaxing, unfortunately, is here.” He said, as the door beeped and opened, revealing a door on the far side. 

     She took the lead, him following, clearly seeing that she was excited to see what was behind the door. 

     The hallway was beautiful, the Shanghai skyline visible from the glass corridor. She admired it, but she cared more about the door.

     She threw it open and gasped as she saw a beautiful area filled with Chinese decorations and plants. She looked up and saw that it was some observatory area, or maybe that it had a windowed dome for looking outside for pure relaxation. 

     “Wow! The sky’s so beautiful, right?”

     “Nice hologram, huh?”

     “What do you mean, ‘hologram’?”

     “The sky. We’re on floor 56 out of 128, Sophia.”

      She looked a bit embarrassed, forgetting and thinking it was the real sky.

     “Aw, it’s ok, Sophia! Y’know, it basically _is_ the sky, it’s just a projection of the outside sky right above in crystal clear quality! Amazing, huh?”

      _“Wow, the future is awesome!” She thought and snickered._

     “Yeah, I really love this place. It’s a shame I don’t come here often. Because I can’t. Well, anywa-” He started, turning towards the door as she grabbed his arm. 

      She was firm now, gripping him maybe a little too hard. She loosened, looking him in the eyes as if almost pleading. 

     “Liwen won’t mind… _That_ much if we sit together, will she? Just a bit?”

     He couldn’t say no to that face.

     He sighed as they sat down on a nearby bench, “I’m doing this just because it’s your first day, ok Sophia? Liwen would tear me apart.”

     “B-But you’re supposed to show me around!”

     “I know, I know, but she’d still kill me.

     He leaned back, and silence soon grew between them. 

     “Sooo…” He started, “How do you feel about Liwen?”

     She looked him in the eyes, smiling, and chirping happily, “I fucking hate Liwen!”

     He jumped, surprised at her sudden animosity, but soon leaned forward and said, “ _Oh, do you now?_ Well, she _is_ a bit of an ass...”

     “What do you mean, _a bit!?_ God, I _despise_ her. I want nothing to do with her. I want her dead.”

       _Maybe too fast too soon._

     “O-Oh. You hate her that much? Well, I can see why, but, how do you know for sure that you hate her? I mean, you’ve only been here a few hours, don’t tell me she’s already berated you…”

     “No. I know that she’s bad.”

     “Oh, how, though?”

     “I uhh, get vibes from her. I can read the vibes of a lot of people.”

     “Ooo, you’re some psychic and can read auras? What’s mine?”

     “You seems like a pretty nice person to everybody except those who may get in your way.”

      _She really wasn’t playing it safe. He might soon guess that she knew a little too much._

     “Oh. Uh… Shit, you got that pretty right.”

     “I just know that she’s awful. Don’t ask how or why.”

     “What would you do if she was awful to me and yelled at me for no reason?”

     “ _Punish her. Harshly_.”

      _Goddamnit Sophia!_

     “Oh! Mm, you don’t have to go to those lengths for me, but I appreciate it.”

     “Oh, but Nyu,” she faced him, “I _want_ to go to those lengths for you.” She said, smiling 

      _…_

“Remember, Newton, I’m your _biggest_ fan.”

      _…_

_….._

_……._

He didn’t even seem a little shocked.

     Just.

      _Pleased._

     Maybe he really was as much as a freak as she thought.

     “Heh. Heheh. Hahahaha! Thanks, _Sophia._ ” It almost came out as a growl. 

     Not the kind of growl to frighten, but as if to express happiness. Maybe even gratitude.

     Maybe it _was_ to frighten her, but she wasn’t going to be afraid of him.

     He cleared his throat a bit, blushing and muttering a sorry.

     “It’s ok, I haven’t had a clear throat since the ’90s. Or a clear nose.”

     That used to be a joke she liked, but now that she was lying to be 54, it indeed wasn’t a joke anymore.

     Wow, the future sucks!

     “Yeah, how old are you, exactly?”

     “54”

     “Are… Are you sure?”

     “Why?”

     “You look a little young…”

     “I do?”

     “Yeah. You wear makeup?”

     “No.”

     “Huh. Sorry, I guess.”

     “Why?”

     “Cause’ i thought you were younger.”

     “That’s ok.”

      _…_

_….._

     “Do you wanna… Talk about Liwen?” He asked.

     “There’s nothing else to say! I hate her!”

     “... Can I be honest with you?”

     “What is it?”

     “I don’t really… _Hate_ Liwen.”

     “B-But! _Why!?_ She berates you, she abuses you, she’s awful to you!”

     “How do you know!?”

     “Cause’ she talked about how she hated you so badly!”

     He breathed a deep sigh. A sigh so deep it could even fill the room.

     “I’m not saying Liwen doesn’t abuse me. But, she does have her own reasons.”

     “What could there possibly be!?”

     “Listen! Since you’re a woman, I guess I’m ok with you hating her. But she does have a scarred past. I’m not going to elaborate, but the way she acts is for a reason, ok? I’m sorry to defend her, I really am.”

     “Well. Then don’t! As another woman, I give you permission to hate her guts. There!”

     “I’m still not going to.”

     “... Fine.”

     “Good.”

     She sighed, “It better be a goddamn good reason.”

     “It is, I promise.”

     “Ok. If it’s you, I trust you.”

     “I appreciate it.”

     “... You sure you ain’t gettin’ paid?”

     “Yes, Sophia.”

     “Good. Cause’ if you’re gettin’ bribed, I can beat her up.”

     “Don’t, Sophia, I don’t want you to get fired.” 

     He winced.

     She smiled sweetly.

     “Y’know Newton, I think we’re gonna be the best of friends.”

     He looked away, lips pursing sadly. 

     “What’s wrong, Newton-kun?”

     “It’s nothing.” He got up, meandering to the door.

     “Liwen will yell if we stay longer, let’s go.”

     She was human. They just _couldn’t_ be friends. He’d end up disappointing her, he might even have to _kill_ her.

     It would be a useless heartbreak.

     She got up and headed to the door as he held it open, purposely brushing past him so that just the tiniest bit of fabric met his. 

     As they walked, Newt thought about how he just _knew_ something was up with this girl. He wasn’t one to talk, but the way she spoke about Liwen was frightening. Her voice radiated malice, and countered with her innocent smile and attitude, left him confused as to her intentions. 

     Maybe. 

     Maybe she _was_ dangerous. 

     He wasn’t sure of it, but she seemed like the kind of person that if they choose to interfere, he’d have to dispose of her.

     Jesus Christ, he might actually have to kill her. 

     He shuddered as he smacked that thought away. 

     Maybe she was just odd. A lot of people would consider him like that, so he didn’t judge. 

     Making their way back to the office, he spotted Liwen talking with Burke as he set up for another drift test with the Drone core. 

     He stepped to Liwen, “Hey, Ms. Shao! The tests are going great, I must say! Though, there is just a _tiny_ bit of interference-”

     Liwen ordered “Inexcusable!” She enunciated, “There should be no interference whatsoever. Don’t you know the council meeting is in three months? I want everything to be going smoothly, so you better start working. It’s going to be long and hard, especially since it’s predicted to rain _heavily._ ” 

     Sophia whipped to face her as she played with the data interface for the core. _“It never rained; this must be a slightly different universe._

Shit _._

_Wait, maybe it really is just a prediction?_

_Well, I’ll run a diagnostic later.”_ She thought. 

     Liwen continued, “And they say that instead of having us finish the Drones after approval, they want us to finish a week before the meeting instead. Deployment and everything should be ready by this time. I expect nothing less.” She commanded, her voice calm and collected, but her intentions malign. 

     She walked off, heading past Sophia, but suddenly stopping to whisper to her “Don’t let him slack off. Whatever he tells you, he’s probably lying to make himself look good. Don’t trust him.” She advised, escaping to the elevator. 

     Sophia looked down, her eyes wide and her face expressing surprise, but Newt knew that was the face of a woman scorned. For how sweet Sophia was, he knew that she was a person not to be messed with. 

     Not wanting to disturb her, he called softly, “Hey, um, would you mind helping me with Burke?” 

     She flung her head to look at him, her face covered with happiness at his attention. 

      _“Maybe she is just a_ really _interesting person.”_ He thought. He didn’t know what to think, and he didn’t want to assume she was crazy. 

     She briskly paced to him, “Whaddya need, Nyu-kun?”

     “Oh, uh, Liwen said she wants the drift alignment to be completely stable, and I know how to fix it, but do you have any tips?” he asked, tilting his head and smiling shyly. 

      _“Whatever I do, I have to get rid of any suspicion that may happen. Maybe that’s better than dumping her.”_

     She knew he did indeed know, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her from helping him nevertheless. She asked for his datapad and touched the core’s hologram, opening up its vital components. She looked through the list of essential elements when Newt tapped her shoulder. 

     She looked at him, and he asked, “Hey, can I chill in my office while you work? Only if you’re ok with it, of course.”

     She nodded, and he went to his office, closing the door behind himself. He wanted to learn more about her.

     “Hey Sophia, I forgot something!”

     “What is it?”

     “I’m curious, what’s your _least_ favorite movie?”

     “Pacific Rim: Uprising.”

      _Snap._

     “Like I told you, the second Starship Troopers!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, a new chapter.  
> Now that im in highschool, things are probably going to be picking up, i hope.  
> now that i think about it, i really am just writing because its fun.  
> no money, wont even let my parents read it outta embarrassment.  
> i guess im posting because im proud?  
> this all came up because i remembered how i really am a minor and Newts 55 sooo  
> posting it bc im proud, not to make you freaks happy!  
> hmph.  
> i know this sounds ironic, but no shipping!  
> well, ship the others idgaf but  
> if i catch any pedos on here...  
> B E G O N E !


	9. HIATUS AND UPDATE

Yeah, high school has NOT been treating me well, and it sent me into a bout of depression.  
I don't feel like typing a lot so  
Am I dropping this? Hell no, I will show the world what a bomb-ass writer I am even if I'm writing about me and my fake boyfriend getting together!  
This is not going to update for a long time, though, as I'm deciding to actually finish the story, then post it. I'm not deleting what I have now in case I come back.  
If I do drop this project, ill leave the work up but post a message about how I'm done with it. Let's hope that's never!  
To all 77 hits (????? how), thank you, I am young, dumb, and full of love


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